Two Kinds of Wonderful
by Lissaone
Summary: COMPLETE. AU Max and Liz are in college each having a kid of their own, and trying to get through past hurts.
1. Default Chapter

Title: Two Kinds of Wonderful  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, we'd still have a show to watch.  
  
Summary: Max is a single father and Liz is a single mother, both are in college. Read to find out more.  
  
Rating: PG-13,  
  
Couple: M/L  
  
"Maxie!" Maria waltzed into Max Evan's apartment.  
  
"Maria, hush." Max shushed her from the table. "I just put Lily to sleep."  
  
Instantly contrite, "Sorry."  
  
"Morning, Max." Isabel set the shopping bags on the table. "Where's my favorite niece?"  
  
"Asleep, finally, don't wake her up, she was up all night." Max rubbed his eyes tiredly. Lilian, his one-year-old daughter, had been up all night.  
  
"When will she be up?" Isabel asked.  
  
"She was up all night again, hopefully not for a while." Max went back to the college book he was reading.  
  
"Why?" Isabel asked concerned.  
  
"Why do you think?" Max looked at her, complete hurt in his eyes.  
  
"Tess?" She whispered.  
  
"Yes." He looked down, done discussing it. The past few weeks had been hell. His ex-fiancé skipped out on him one night while he was home with Lily. She left a note saying something about not being old enough or mature enough to raise a child. " I have a test to study for, if you excuse me?" He went back to his room signaling he wanted to be left alone.  
  
"Oh, well," Maria said breaking the tension. Tess had at one time been Maria and Isabel's best friend. After what had happened that was still a sore spot. "We'll be back later then?"  
  
"Yeah, let's go Maria." Isabel hooked her arm through Maria's and they left the apartment silently.  
  
Max stood over his daughter's crib. Her cheeks were flushed from sleep. Her brown curls stuck to her cheeks. When her eyes were open they were a deep brown like his own. He pulled the blanket off of her face and she shifted. He held his breath weary that she might wake up, but she slept on.  
  
He sighed and turned around and left the room, leaving the door open as little as possible so as not to disturb her.  
  
****  
  
"What's wrong, Mama?" Little Aidan asked his Mom crawling into bed next to her.  
  
"Nothing, Aidan." She pulled him close beside her in bed.  
  
"Why you cryin?" He asked concerned. He reached a tiny hand up and touched her cheek.  
  
"Because I'm scared, Sweetheart." She confesses.  
  
"Because Uncle Alex?" He asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because Uncle Alex is coming on a plane." Liz sat up. Her head spun in fear.  
  
Aidan knew not to ask more. Whenever planes were mentioned his mother turned pale and became very quiet.  
  
"Can we have breakfast?" He asked with a smile trying to cheer her up.  
  
"Yes, let's." Liz climbed out of bed and pulled on her slippers. They were still the tattered old ones Jonathan had gotten her two years before. "What do you want to eat today? Waffles?" She sat him in his booster seat.  
  
"Yeah." He said excitedly. "I help?"  
  
"Sure." She unstrapped him and pulled a chair over from the kitchen.  
  
They were mixing the batter when the phone rang, startling Liz and an airplane flew overhead.  
  
"Hello?" She asked carefully.  
  
"Hello, Elizabeth." She heard over the phone.  
  
"Hello, Mother." She said annoyed into the phone.  
  
"Has your brother gotten there yet?"  
  
"No, Mother."  
  
"Alright, I'll try again later, goodbye." Click.  
  
Liz blinked back tears at her mother's refusal to ask after her grandson. She rarely called and when she did she never asked after Aidan.  
  
"Aidan, be careful." Liz said going back to her son.  
  
"I am, Mama." He smiled at her.  
  
"Here like this." She showed him how to mix the batter but made him stand back when she poured it into the waffle iron.  
  
She sat him in his booster right again and then set it a pile of miniature waffles in front of him.  
  
"Thank you!" He smiled in delight.  
  
"You're Welcome, Aidan." She smiled down at him. "Milk?"  
  
"Yeah." He clapped his hands.  
  
"Alright." She went to the fridge to get the milk and filled his sippy cup.  
  
After breakfast Liz was cleaning up the kitchen when she heard Aidan's squealing.  
  
"Uncle Alex!"  
  
tbc 


	2. Moving Out

Title: Two Kinds of Wonderful  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, we'd still have a show to watch. Summary: Max is a single father and Liz is a single mother, both are in college. Rating: PG-13 Couple: M/L  
"How's my favorite sister?" Alex said walking into the kitchen.  
  
"She was doing fine until your mother called." She hugged him.  
  
"When did she call?" He asked concerned.  
  
"Just this morning." Liz offered him a cup of coffee.  
  
"Did she say she'd call back?" He asked.  
  
"No. She just hung up." Liz told him.  
  
"Fine." He shrugged it off. "What have we got in store to do today?" Bouncing his nephew in his lap.  
  
"There's that little zoo in town for the week, if you wanna go see that, Aidan's been begging to." She told him.  
  
"Why don't we do that then?" He looked as excited as Aidan.  
  
"Fine, just let me go change. Keep an eye on him?" She asked.  
  
"I'm only here to help." He smiled.  
  
"Thank you." She went to her room to quickly change clothes.  
  
****  
  
"There's Daddy." Isabel stood when Max entered the apartment.  
  
Max hurried to his daughter and took her from Isabel. "Was she bad?" He asked concerned.  
  
"She just wanted Daddy." Isabel smiled. As if on cue she smiled at Max.  
  
"Hey, Lilybird." He smiled down at his daughter.  
  
She cooed back at him. He set her down on wobbly, yet sturdy, legs. "Daddy has some things to put away, do you wanna help?"  
  
She grabbed his hand and waddled behind him to the kitchen. Isabel followed him into the kitchen. "Are you going to start summer session a Cal State Fullerton?" She asked.  
  
"I think so. There's an opening at the church day care." He told her. "The sooner Lily's enrolled, the better. That way she has a secure spot there."  
  
"There's an opening, there's never any openings at that place." Isabel said odd.  
  
"I've been on the waiting list since she was born."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Isabel?" Max looked at her smiling.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"When's Alex coming home?" He'd been gone for two weeks already and his sister was becoming more and more restless.  
  
"One more week." Isabel sighed then smiled. "Am I hanging around here too much?" She asked concerned.  
  
"No, Lily loves having you around, and so do I. It's been such a great help. Thank you."  
  
"Thank you for not making me stay home by my lonesome. Alex wasn't sure how long he would have to stay there. His sister is iffy on moving out here."  
  
"Oh. You're welcome to stay here anytime." He picked up Lily.  
  
"We're supposed to visit mom, this afternoon, you wanna come?" He asked.  
  
Lily squealed in his arms.  
  
"You wanna see Nana?" Max asked his daughter.  
  
She clapped in agreement.  
  
"You have to go night night first." He compromised.  
  
Her eyes widened. She slid from his arms and ran in the other room.  
  
"I better go get her."  
  
Isabel smiled as her brother chased after his daughter. She'd have to find someone for him, and soon.  
  
Isabel walked into the back room to tell Max she was leaving.  
  
Max handed Lily her bottle and pulled her blanket over her face. They had found out that the second it's dark, she'll close her eyes and go to sleep. Like a bird. That's why he called her Lilybird.  
  
"I'm leaving, Max, I gotta get to class. Maybe I'll stop by mom's." She kissed his cheek and exited the apartment. Once again leaving father and daughter alone.  
  
****  
  
"Alex, no, I'm not moving to California with you." Liz sat up from where her head rested in her brother's lap.  
  
"Please, Liz?" He begged.  
  
"No, she's out there, and plus I can't just leave Jonathan's parents here and take Aidan with me."  
  
"You won't even have to see my mother, and you can bring Aidan out here once in a while to see Jonathan's parents." Alex tried to convince her.  
  
"What about school, Alex?"  
  
"Cal State Fullerton has an excellent teaching program."  
  
"I know, it's, just, well, I don't know Alex. This is all Aidan's ever known." She tried to explain.  
  
"He'll adjust. And I'll be closer to you. I can help you out once in a while. And I hardly get to see you, or Aidan."  
  
Liz wiped angrily at her tears she didn't want to leave this apartment.  
  
"Liz, Jonathan's not coming back. Staying here isn't going to bring him back." He told her softly.  
  
"I know, Alex." She said just as quietly. "I'll have to take an extra year of schooling out there."  
  
"Yes, teachers have five years in California. But there's plenty of schools for you to teach at there." He smiled.  
  
"How close are we to Disneyland?" She asked for Aidan's sake.  
  
"Ten minutes with heavy traffic." He smiled. She was starting to see it his way.  
  
"I could live in my own apartment right?" Alex's face fell.  
  
"I can't live with you, Alex. I need to be on my own. Please. If I have to leave this place I have to have my own place."  
  
"I understand." He nodded.  
  
"I'll go." She said quietly. She curled up into his side and sighed deeply.  
  
She looked around her apartment. At the picture on top of the TV where Jonathan proudly held a hand over her still flat tummy, where Aidan was safely tucked away from the horrors of the world.  
  
"You'll be fine there, Liz." He kissed the top of her head. 


	3. Doctor's Visit

Title: Two Kinds of Wonderful  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, we'd still have a show to watch. Summary: Max is a single father and Liz is a single mother, both are in college. Read to find out more. Rating: PG-13 Couple: M/L  
  
**A Few Months Later**  
  
Max bounced Lily softly in his arms to calm her down. She was burning up with a fever and the administrative nurse was taking forever to check him in.  
  
"Aidan, hold still." He heard a woman tell her young son.  
  
He glanced over in the direction that he heard the order.  
  
She was a small woman, long dark hair, early twenties. She was trying to get her son to stand up against the wall so the poor MA could get his height.  
  
"No, Mama." The boy demanded squirming away.  
  
"One, two," She started counting.  
  
"Fine." He stood up tall against the wall.  
  
Max would have to remember that trick, he told himself. He remembered from when he was little, him and Isabel having five seconds to listen to their parent's demands.  
  
Feeling someone watching her, Liz looked behind her. Her eyes met a man with dark intense eyes. He turned and blushed. His attention seemingly on the person in front of him.  
  
He was holding a baby girl, sick, by the looks of it. She couldn't have been more than a year old.  
  
"Come on, Aidan." Liz pulled her son over to a chair and pulled him into her lap.  
  
Max watched as she pulled a little board book from her purse and let her son point at the pictures.  
  
Max finally got Lily checked in and went to find a seat in the waiting room. The only seat was next to the woman with her son.  
  
Max walked over. "Um, mind if I sit here, I don't want to get your son sick." He asked shyly.  
  
"Oh, go ahead. It's time he started getting immune to diseases around. He starts daycare soon." She smiled.  
  
Max sat down and rocked Lily who was once again whimpering in his arms.  
  
Aidan leaned over on Liz's lap and stroked Lily's face. Her eyes opened and she leaned into his soft touch. "Baby." He whispered smiling.  
  
"Yeah, that's a baby." Liz told her son. "Are you ok with that?" She asked Max. Some parents were kind of weird about people touching their kids.  
  
"Sure, if you are." He smiled. Lily stopped whimpering and her eyes rolled back symbolizing she was going to fall asleep.  
  
"Mrs. Parker and Aidan?" The MA called.  
  
"That's us." Liz nudged Aidan off her lap and stood up. "Nice meeting you."  
  
"You too." He said dismayed. She was a Mrs. Parker, meaning there was a Mr. Parker out there somewhere waiting for his wife to come home with their adorable little son.  
  
Max sulked. He hadn't seen a wedding ring on her finger. Oh well, that's over with, he told himself.  
  
Liz felt her wedding and engagement rings around her neck at being called Mrs. Parker. She always went for them whenever anyone called her that.  
  
"Mr. Evans, Lilian?" The MA called.  
  
Max stood with a now whimpering Lily in his arms and went to the opposite door Mrs. Parker and her son went through.  
  
****  
  
"Max, I have a friend, that I want you to meet." Isabel said as she entered Max's apartment with a handful of groceries.  
  
"I think not, Is." He said skeptically.  
  
"Yes, you'll love her. Max, please, for me?" She begged, she knew this one was going to work.  
  
"The last ones you set me up with were complete flakes. I couldn't talk to them without giggling or anything." He said from the couch where he was watching Caillou with a now well Lily.  
  
"Max, come on, just this last one, if you don't like her then I won't send you on anymore dates." She begged.  
  
"No, Isabel." He got up to go help her put groceries away.  
  
"Her name is Liz."  
  
"So?"  
  
"Doesn't that kid disturb her, Max? I mean, look at him, he's four years old and bald what's wrong with that picture?" Isabel asked looking at the offensive TV screen.  
  
"No, she loves him. Besides, he's kinda cute." He shrugged.  
  
"Cute? Max you gotta talk to some real adults." She laughed.  
  
"What's she trying to get you to do?" Michael asked walking into the kitchen.  
  
"He won't go out with Alex's sister." Isabel pouted.  
  
"Why not?" Maria asked holding Lily.  
  
"Maria, she was quiet." Max scolded.  
  
"I know, but I still have to spoil her. Why won't you go out with Liz?" She asked.  
  
"Liz?" Max asked confused.  
  
"Alex's sister, Max." Isabel said annoyed. Men!  
  
"I have Lily, I can't." Max tried as an excuse.  
  
"Won't work." Isabel said taking Lily from Maria.  
  
"I'm not going, girls, give it up." Max said done discussing the idea.  
  
"Alright, alright." Maria huffed.  
  
"I don't think Alex would like the idea of matching up his baby sister anyway." Michael shrugged.  
  
"Normally he wouldn't but she needs to get out." Alex walked in.  
  
"Why is everyone here?" Max asked confused.  
  
Lily clapped her hands excitedly at so many people in her house.  
  
"Liz said no anyway." Alex shrugged and took Lily from Isabel.  
  
Lily smiled and hugged Alex. Alex didn't spend much time at Max's apartment since Liz moved and was getting settled. Lily always had a soft spot for him and vice versa.  
  
"Good, because, even if she said yes, I wouldn't go." Max said.  
  
"Max, we're going shopping for the wedding, I want to get Lily fitted for her dress." He took her from Alex.  
  
"I'm not going." Max said firmly. He never went shopping with Isabel, it was signing your own death certificate.  
  
"Fine, we'll take her." Maria shrugged then glared. "Please?"  
  
"No, Maria." Michael shooed the girls out the door.  
  
"So, what do you wanna do with our day of freedom?"  
  
"Day? I didn't send anything with Lily." Max said worried.  
  
"Don't worry, Max. They have to stop by my place anyway and Lily has tons of stuff there." Alex grinned and went towards the front room.  
  
"Max." Alex called.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"What show is this?"  
  
****  
  
Isabel and Maria stood on Liz's doorstep waiting for Liz to answer the door.  
  
"Hey," Liz said opening the door with an upset Aidan in her arms.  
  
"Hi." Isabel smiled easily.  
  
"Come on in, I just have to finish getting a few things together. How long do you expect to be gone?" She asked exchanging the board book she had in her purse to a new one.  
  
"Only a few hours. We're going to Main Place, there's a food court and everything." Maria said.  
  
"Baby." Aidan said noticing Lily who was perched behind his aunt's leg.  
  
Liz glanced down to see where Aidan saw another baby.  
  
"Her name's Lily." Isabel picked her up so she was face to face with Aidan.  
  
Lily's face lit up when she recognized the boy from the doctor's office.  
  
"Same baby as the doctor's?" Aidan asked confused.  
  
"No, I don't think so." Liz studied the girl closely.  
  
"Yes!" Aidan demanded.  
  
"Fine." She set him on the floor "go find your booster seat."  
  
"Found it." He pulled the heavy chair behind him.  
  
"Alright, let's go, sweetie." She picked him up. Liz glanced one more time just to make sure it was that little girl from the doctor's office. 


	4. Shopping

Title: Two Kinds of Wonderful  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, we'd still have a show to watch. Summary: Max is a single father and Liz is a single mother, both are in college. Read to find out more. Rating: PG-13, I don't write anything higher than that, sorry! Couple: M/L  
  
Requirements:  
  
- No POV's  
  
- No aliens  
  
- Any rating  
  
- Must end with Max and Liz together.  
  
As for ages: Max: 21 Lily: 14 months Liz: 21 Aidan: 2 Rest of the gang: 21  
  
"So how do you like Anaheim?" Maria asked arriving at the mall.  
  
"It's ok, I guess. Very busy." She shrugged.  
  
"Extremely." Isabel agreed and deciding Lily walked to slow and picked her up.  
  
"I like it though. Different." She wrinkled her nose.  
  
"Nothing like the smell of freshly laid tar in the hot morning, is there, Liz?" Maria asked.  
  
Liz just smiled.  
  
"Get used to it, that's what our summers are like."  
  
"Here we are." Isabel held the door open to Robinson's May.  
  
Liz let the cool air hit her face and smiled.  
  
"Mama, how long are we going to be here?" Aidan asked already bored.  
  
"Keep an eye on Lily for Isabel will you?" She put Aidan to a task knowing it would make him feel like a big boy.  
  
"Come here, Lily." He took her hand and followed closely behind his mother.  
  
Lily clung tightly to her new friend's hand.  
  
****  
  
"So, why again won't you go out with my sister?" Alex said sitting down.  
  
"Because, I've had too much on my mind." Max sat across from him.  
  
"Guys I get this all the time from the Isabel. I've gotten it since she moved here a month ago."  
  
"I know, I'm sorry. We'll give it up." Michael apologized.  
  
"Thank you." Max said seriously.  
  
"So you haven't heard anything from Lily's mother?" Michael asked.  
  
"Absolutely nothing." Max affirmed. "I don't really refer to her as Lily's mother anymore. I mean, she skipped out on her own daughter, what kind of mother does that?"  
  
"Not a very good one. You tried her parents?"  
  
"Yeah, they refuse to give me any information. I continue to send pictures though, once a month. Just so they don't miss everything in their granddaughter's life." He said quietly.  
  
"They shouldn't be allowed, Max." Alex said quietly.  
  
"I know, it's just, I don't know." Max said angrily. "I got to go register for school today. That way I don't have to stand in line with Lily."  
  
"Fine." Alex and Michael let him leave.  
  
"He's still touchy about it."  
  
"And Liz is still touchy about Jonathan." Alex said.  
  
"You think they'd go together?" Michael said unsure of it.  
  
"Perfectly."  
  
****  
  
Lily sat quietly studying the half of a half slice of pizza in front of her.  
  
She looked over at Aidan almost asleep in his mother's arms. She stuck her ring and middle finger in her mouth. Changing her mind she used the binky that was cleverly attached to her overalls.  
  
She looked again at Aidan and promptly burst into tears.  
  
"Lily?" Isabel asked concerned and pulled her niece into her lap.  
  
She continued crying. Liz looked at the crying girl as much at a loss as Maria and Isabel.  
  
"Lily, what's wrong?" Maria asked.  
  
Aidan crawled over and stroked her cheek.  
  
She still continued crying.  
  
Aidan looked back at Liz, "Don't you dare start, Aidan." She warned.  
  
All signs of tears were gone instantly.  
  
"Try, bouncing her a little." Liz suggested.  
  
Isabel awkwardly tried to follow Liz's direction.  
  
Isabel looked again at Liz.  
  
"Here, let me try." Liz reached across the table and took the girl in her arms.  
  
Lily buried face in Liz's neck Lily's tummy to Liz's chest. Lily's tears slowed to sniffles.  
  
Liz stroked her soft curls calming the girl down. "Is she asleep?" Liz asked quietly.  
  
Maria nodded, her mouth open in awe. "Max really could use that at night."  
  
Isabel smacked Maria under the table.  
  
"Who?" Liz whispered.  
  
"Max, Lily's father, my brother."  
  
"You're brother's Max?" Liz asked. "Alex just said a friend's brother."  
  
"Yeah." Isabel smiled.  
  
Max was the guy from the Doctor's office!  
  
Lily shifted and Liz smiled down at the precious girl in her arms. Isabel and Maria watched Liz with Lily. Liz shifted uncomfortably under their gazes. "You girls ready to go?"  
  
"You got everything? I think Lily's had it for shopping." Maria said.  
  
"I got her dress and we just need to run to the dress shop and have it altered quickly. But she doesn't need to be there for that." Isabel said. "Yeah. Liz would you mind if Aidan were the ring bearer?"  
  
"I wouldn't mind, are you sure?" Liz smiled at her son.  
  
"Yeah, Alex would be delighted to have his nephew in it."  
  
"We'll get him fitted with the guys tomorrow." Isabel winked at him.  
  
He sighed and curled next to his mother.  
  
"Let's go." Isabel tried to take Lily from Liz's arms but even in sleep she held fast to her shirt.  
  
"I got her." Liz smiled. "Aidan come on." She held a hand out to her son.  
  
He grabbed it and followed his mother to the car.  
  
Liz took Aidan out of the car. "Thanks so much for taking us along." She said laying a sleeping Aidan down on the couch.  
  
"No problem. Will he come with me and the guys tomorrow without you?"  
  
"Yeah, he loves Uncle Alex."  
  
"I'll pick him up then." Isabel said goodbye and left them alone. 


	5. The Park

Title: Two Kinds of Wonderful  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, we'd still have a show to watch. Summary: Max is a single father and Liz is a single mother, both are in college. Read to find out more. Rating: PG-13 Couple: M/L  
  
Requirements:  
  
- No POV's  
  
- No aliens  
  
- Any rating  
  
- Must end with Max and Liz together.  
  
"Did you have fun shopping?" Liz asked Aidan that evening.  
  
"Yeah. I want more sketti." He told her pointing the spaghetti on the stove and holding the bowl upside down to prove it was empty. That bowl was supposed to stick to the high chair so he couldn't dump it upside down.  
  
It was all down his front since he didn't have his shirt on and it was too hot for a bib.  
  
"Maybe you should try to keep it in your mouth and you'd get more." She stood up and smiled at him.  
  
He grinned at her. "Max doesn't keep it in his mouth."  
  
"Who?" Liz asked.  
  
"Max, Lily's daddy." He said as if it were obvious.  
  
"Did you like Max?"  
  
"Yeah." He shook his head vigorously.  
  
"Was he nice?"  
  
"Yes." He smiled. "He gave me candy."  
  
"He gave you candy? How about Lily?"  
  
"Yeah, we shared. And then we shared ice cream too."  
  
"You shared?"  
  
"Yes, Max said big boys share and I'm a big boy, aren't I Mama?" He asked unsure.  
  
"Yes you're a very big boy, thank you for sharing."  
  
****  
  
"Mama, I wanna go to the airplane park." Aidan announce after dinner three days later.  
  
"Not the airplane park. We can go to the one by the library." Liz offered. Aidan came running from his room. "No, no jacket, Aidan, it's too hot."  
  
"I tired of that park." He said upset.  
  
"I know, how about the one up further, by the freeway?"  
  
"Alright." He agreed. ****  
  
"You wanna go on the swing?" Max asked his daughter.  
  
She nodded and clapped. She was old enough to talk she just hadn't said anything yet.  
  
Max plopped her down in the swing and pushed her until she was tired of that about five minutes later.  
  
She pointed to the sandbox and grunted telling him that's where she wanted to go.  
  
"When will you learn to talk?" He asked exasperated.  
  
He loved the new sandbox addition to the park; it was the only thing that kept Lilian busy for more than five minutes, sometimes up to 10 minutes.  
  
He sat in the bench that was next to the sandbox and let her play.  
  
"Lily!" He heard across the playground. Who would be calling his daughter?  
  
She squealed in delight as a little boy almost bowled her over. "Hi, Lily!"  
  
Lily squealed and giggled as she tried to wrestle out from under him in the sand.  
  
"Aidan Jonathan Parker!" Liz rushed to the scene to see how much damage her son had created and what parent he had harassed this time.  
  
"It's Lily." He pointed and struggled to get down from her arms.  
  
"Who?" Liz said looking around.  
  
"Lily." He stated.  
  
Liz looked down and noticed Isabel's niece.  
  
"Hello, Lily." She said softly. "Where's your daddy?"  
  
She pointed to where Max was coming towards her.  
  
"Max!" Aidan scooted down from his mother's arms and ran to him.  
  
"Hello, Aidan." Max said to the little boy he had grown fond of three days before.  
  
"Mama's here." He pointed over to Liz.  
  
"Well, let's go meet her then."  
  
Lily held her arms up to Liz. Feeling kind of awkward, Liz obliged and picked up the small girl.  
  
"Hello." Max greeted Liz. "I'm Max, and I'm guessing you already know my daughter, Lilian."  
  
Liz blushed. "Yes, we went shopping together. I'm Liz." How weird was it to be introduced to someone when you're holding their kid? Liz studied Max from under her lashes where she was supposedly paying attention to Aidan.  
  
He was a great deal taller than her, handsome, as Alex had said. But then again Alex though he, himself was the hottest man in the world. He had dark eyes that she knew that she would soon get lost in.  
  
Feeling shy Max looked down at Aidan who was studying him.  
  
"Lily, come play wit me." He called.  
  
Lily shook her head and held onto Liz.  
  
"Please?" He asked.  
  
She shook her head again and buried her head in Liz's neck.  
  
"You want me to take her?" Max asked.  
  
She shook her head at Max and turned the other way.  
  
"I don't think she wants you to take her." Liz smiled. "She's ok."  
  
"Are you going to be in the wedding?" Max asked after they had sat down on a bench.  
  
"Yeah. One of the bridesmaids dropped I guess." Liz shrugged.  
  
"I know." Max straightened. That other bridesmaid should have been Tess.  
  
Lily was reclining against Liz watching Aidan play in the sand.  
  
"So are you in the doctor's office often?" Liz asked feeling shy and wanting to break the silence.  
  
"No, she doesn't get sick very much, it was nothing major, she was a premature baby so any sign of illness has to be taken care of immediately." Max explained.  
  
"How many weeks was she?" Liz asked concerned. It registered in her mind how small she was.  
  
"Thirty-two."  
  
"That's two months!" Liz exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah. I spent many nights at the hospital." Max nodded looking down at Lily who's eyes were starting to close.  
  
"How about you?"  
  
"No, just to get familiar with the doctor." Liz said.  
  
"Are you tired, Lilybird?" Max asked gently.  
  
"No." She stated.  
  
"Alri-"  
  
"What did you say?" Max stared at her.  
  
"No, Dada!" She stated.  
  
"She spoke." Max said.  
  
"So?" Liz wondered shifting Lily.  
  
"Her first word was no."  
  
"That was her first word?" Liz asked smiling.  
  
"Yes." He lifted his daughter in the air and she squealed and held on.  
  
"Dada!" She said again pleased with herself.  
  
Max stopped and sat down again. Immediately she crawled out of Max's lap and settled into Liz's.  
  
"Why won't you stay with me?" Max asked.  
  
She shrugged and ran her hands through Liz's hair and plopped fingers in her mouth.  
  
Max observed how comfortable was with Lily. She was kind always kind of nervous around strangers, but with Liz it was total familiarity. Isabel had told him what happened at the mall. At first it had worried him but now it didn't seem to bother him at all.  
  
Her eyes started to drift closed.  
  
"Mama, look what I've found." Aidan came over proudly.  
  
"What is it Aidan?" She asked quietly.  
  
"Look." He showed her a quarter.  
  
"It's a quarter. You should put it in your piggy bank." Liz advised softly.  
  
"She's sleepin'." Aidan pointed out.  
  
"Yep, that she is." Max said.  
  
The sun was starting to set. "Liz, I think I'm going to take her home." Max said standing up.  
  
"I should be getting Aidan home too." Liz stood up.  
  
"Can I walk you to your car?"  
  
"Umm, sure." Liz said standing up.  
  
Max took Lily who protested softly.  
  
"Aidan dump your shoes." Liz told him.  
  
"Good idea." Max slid off Lily's shoes and sand poured out.  
  
Aidan did the same thing. "We walkin' home, Mama?  
  
"Yeah." Liz said.  
  
"You wanna ride?" Max asked.  
  
"No, we're fine." Liz said.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"I don't have his car seat." Liz pointed out.  
  
"Good point." Max nodded. "Alright. I'll see you next Friday then?" He asked before he had time to stop himself.  
  
"Next Friday?" Liz asked confused.  
  
"Rehearsal dinner?"  
  
"Oh, yeah." Liz nodded.  
  
"Bye, Liz." He said softly. "Bye, Bye, Aidan." Max waved.  
  
"Bye, Max."  
  
"She'd wave if she weren't sleeping." Max laughed.  
  
"I know."  
  
TBC 


	6. In 'N Out

Title: Two Kinds of Wonderful  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, we'd still have a show to watch. Summary: Max is a single father and Liz is a single mother, both are in college. Rating: PG-13 Couple: M/L  
  
Requirements:  
  
- No POV's  
  
- No aliens  
  
- Any rating  
  
- Must end with Max and Liz together.  
  
"I don't wanna stay." Aidan said sadly as Liz walked him into the daycare, the following Thursday.  
  
"You have to. I'll pick you up in a few hours, Love." Liz hugged Aidan goodbye.  
  
"I'll be real good, Mama. Can I please come?" He begged a little worried.  
  
"I know you will, but I need you to stay here." Liz comforted him. She hated this as much as he did.  
  
"Come on, Aidan, we'll show you some new toys we got, your mom will be back in a while." The director of the childcare center said.  
  
Both Aidan and Liz followed the lady to the Whale Room.  
  
"Look, Mama!" Aidan said running inside the room. "It's Lily!"  
  
Poor Lily was sitting on the floor looking very lost, very frightened, and very alone.  
  
When Lily saw Liz she ran to her.  
  
"Hi, Lily!" Aidan said excitedly.  
  
She smiled at Aidan then held her arms up to Liz.  
  
"She's a new one too. Her poor dad, a young man, probably no older than you, he didn't want to leave her. She had a hard time leaving him and vice versa." She studied Lily standing there still asking to be picked up. "Do you know her? She won't let anyone touch her."  
  
"Yeah, she's my brother's niece." Liz picked Lily up.  
  
"Is she gonna stay with me?" Aidan asked.  
  
"Yes." Liz said looking at her watch. "Lily, why don't you play with Aidan?  
  
She held on tight and shook her head. "NO!" She cried.  
  
"Yeah, look, Aidan's gonna stay with you." Liz let her go.  
  
Aidan took her hand. "I'll take care of her, Mama." Aidan assured Liz suddenly playing the part of the big boy.  
  
"Thank you, Aidan. Goodbye." Liz said kissing his forehead. "Goodbye, Lily, your daddy will be here soon." Liz assured her one more time.  
  
She nodded then followed Aidan's lead.  
  
****  
  
"Dada!" Lily ran to the door. Aidan had already gone home and she was once again alone.  
  
"Lilybird." He swung her into the air.  
  
She smiled at him wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder.  
  
"She was exceptionally good, Mr. Evans."  
  
"Max."  
  
"Max, most cry the first day but she found a friend about fifteen minutes after you left."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yes, a little boy, a year older than her. Aidan Parker, you know him?"  
  
"Yeah, my sister's fiancé's nephew."  
  
"They get along very well." She observed.  
  
"Yes they do." Max nodded. Why hadn't he known Liz was going to bring Aidan here?  
  
"Was Aidan here?" Max asked Lily. She shook her head happily.  
  
He strapped her into her car seat and climbed into the front. "Were you a good girl?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
Max's thoughts drifted as Lily's attention shifted to outside. He hadn't seen Liz in five days yet he was always on his mind.  
  
Max was at a stoplight and was leaning over to put his Thomas Guide away when a paper slipped out. It was Isabel's handwriting. She was the only person in the world that wrote that neat.  
  
It has Liz's address and phone number.  
  
Max smiled. He knew it wasn't an accident that the number and address happened to make his way into the car that Isabel had borrowed the day before.  
  
He liked her and he wanted to get to know her better.  
  
"Do you wanna go out to dinner tonight, Lilybird?" He asked looking in the rear view mirror.  
  
She smiled at him.  
  
He thought he should probably call instead of just show up but then thought twice about it.  
  
Max pulled up to the house and parked his car.  
  
Max pushed the doorbell hesitantly. He heard footsteps running back and forth behind the door. "Aidan, do not open that door." He heard Liz shout.  
  
"I won't, Mama." Max could hear the anticipation in his voice  
  
Liz opened the door with one hand and pushed it open with her foot. She was trying to pull her hair up in a ponytail and a scrunchie was between her teeth.  
  
"Can I help you?" She mumbled glaring down at Aidan who had pushed the door open.  
  
"Max!" He shouted.  
  
"Max?" She questioned dropping the scrunchie.  
  
"Hi, Max!" Aidan said excitedly. "Come in." He pushed the door open wider.  
  
"Hi, Lily." Liz said getting over her shock.  
  
Lily gave a shy wave.  
  
"Come in, Max." Liz stood out of the way with the help of Aidan who was more forcing her out of the way.  
  
"Lily, come I want to show you something."  
  
"Put your shirt on first." Liz said grabbing his shirt that was lying on the ground.  
  
He came and put on his shirt and ran back to the living room.  
  
"So any reason in particular why you stopped by or do you just want to stop by and chat? And I see since you're not Maria you do not want to chat." She said and blushed when she started rambling.  
  
"Actually, since it was Lily's first day of day care, and I realize that it was Aidan's I was wondering if I could treat the three of you out to dinner." He said quickly. Now he wished that he would have called he felt incredibly stupid.  
  
"Um, well, I was about to fix dinner but I guess that would be alright. Thank you." She smiled up at him. "Where do you wanna go?"  
  
"Have you ever been to In n Out?" He asked smiling back at her bright smile.  
  
"No, never heard of it." She shook her head.  
  
"Never heard of it?" He asked astonished. "All Southern Californians know about In n Out. I'll take you there."  
  
"Aidan!" She called.  
  
"What, Mama?" He asked bringing Lily with him.  
  
"We're going out to dinner." She told him.  
  
Lily clapped her hands and Aidan whooped.  
  
"Where we going?" Aidan asked on the way there.  
  
"In n Out." Max said. Lily was looking through a book in the back seat.  
  
"In n Out?" He asked.  
  
"You'll see." **** Liz laughed on their way back to the car as Max told her the story of Lily's first walking adventure.  
  
"I'm telling you it was like she didn't even see the wall there." Max said. Lily playfully slapped her father and hid her face in Max's shoulder.  
  
"That's so sad." Liz said through a small smile.  
  
"I know, she was so confused. Isabel thought it was hilarious."  
  
"Poor Lily." Liz said taking her from Max's arms. "So what exactly is around here to do?" Liz asked.  
  
"Well, there's a whole shopping center around Target over there, Circuit City, Craft Store, and a movie theatre. Along with Chuck e Cheese, there's a lot."  
  
"What movies are playing?" She asked.  
  
"No idea, I don't really follow them anymore." Max shrugged.  
  
"You wanna go see?" Liz asked. She was having fun with Max and she didn't want this evening to end and it was only six thirty.  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Land Before Time XX is out, you wanna see that?" Liz asked the kids, knowing Max would be ok with that.  
  
"The one with dinosaurs?" He asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Yes, please." He said excitedly.  
  
****  
  
Max walked Liz and a still bouncing Aidan to the front door.  
  
"Thank you so much, Max. That was so much fun." Liz said at the door.  
  
"I know, does he go to daycare tomorrow?" He asked.  
  
"No, I don't have class tomorrow. I'm glad because we have the rehearsal dinner and Isabel's going to be on a rampage tomorrow. I'm kinda scared for my life right now." Liz laughed. "You've only spent one month with her. Alex proposed one year ago."  
  
"Wow. Gosh. I'm glad I didn't move back till I did." She said looking at Aidan who was beginning to whine in her arms. "I better get him to bed." She said.  
  
"I know, Lily is starting to nod off as well."  
  
They said their goodbyes and Max left thoroughly happy with himself.  
  
Max was expecting Lily to go to sleep right away when he got home. Boy, was he wrong.  
  
TBC 


	7. Rehearsals

Title: Two Kinds of Wonderful  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, we'd still have a show to watch. Summary: Max is a single father and Liz is a single mother, both are in college. Rating: PG-13 Couple: M/L  
  
Requirements:  
  
- No POV's  
  
- No aliens  
  
- Any rating  
  
- Must end with Max and Liz together.  
  
"Liz, Liz, are you paying attention?" Isabel asked annoyed.  
  
Liz scooted Aidan off her lap.  
  
"Yes, Isabel." She said trying to hold her patience. This is the exact reason she had a small wedding.  
  
"Let's go through it again. This time with the men."  
  
Liz took a deep breath and called Aidan to her side.  
  
"Again, Mama?" He asked rubbing his eyes. He didn't have a nap.  
  
"Yes, just a few more times." She said.  
  
"Aidan, your turn." Isabel instructed. Angrily he grabbed the pillow from Isabel's hand and stomped down the aisle. "Aidan is that how you're going to do it tomorrow?" Isabel asked.  
  
"Isabel, just leave him alone, please?" Liz begged. If Isabel wasn't careful she wouldn't have a ring bearer tomorrow.  
  
"Alright." Isabel turned to the rest. "Michael, you're with Maria, and," She paused to look around. "Liz, you're with Max, and Alex, you're at the end of the aisle next to Aidan, go on, scoot." She shooed him down the aisle.  
  
She turned around again to face Max and Liz. They were sitting on the opposite side of the room from Liz's parents and next to Max's.  
  
"Alex put him down!" She said without evening turning to the front of the church.  
  
Aidan angrily slid down the floor.  
  
Aidan looked like he was going to cry.  
  
"Isabel, he's going to cry, he's tired." Liz through gritted teeth.  
  
"Well, I told you to give him a morning nap, Elizabeth."  
  
Max watched as Liz went from the confident woman she normally was, into a shy and almost afraid person.  
  
"I know, Mother. But as a two year and a half year old he's gonna sleep when he wants to and he's gonna play when he wants to." She explained.  
  
He noticed that Liz and her mother kept a civil attitude towards each other, yet it was very strained. He also noticed that she was the only one that called her Elizabeth.  
  
"Alright, Lily, your turn." Isabel instructed, she too noticed the strain and was grateful for Liz's cooperation.  
  
She shook her head and shifted positions in Max's arms.  
  
"Come on, Lily!"  
  
"No, Aidan you're supposed to go before Lily." Isabel instructed.  
  
"No, Isabel watch, she won't go if he doesn't go with her." Max told her.  
  
Max smiled in relief and knowledge that his baby was safe as she waddled down the aisle.  
  
"Now," Isabel turned around now satisfied, began to direct other things.  
  
****  
  
"What time is the dinner, Isabel?" Liz asked holding an exhausted Aidan in her arms.  
  
"We meet at the restaurant at 7." She said obviously annoyed that Liz doesn't know the time.  
  
"And where at again?" She balanced Aidan in one arm and moved a stray piece of hair out of her face.  
  
"Hof's Hut in Tustin, it's nothing formal." She told her.  
  
"And this is where?" Isabel was ready to explode. Her face was turning red and Max saw it. He also noticed the look of amusement on Liz's face.  
  
"I'll take you Liz, why don't you just ride with me?" Max said taking Aidan from her arms.  
  
She shot him a glare for ruining her fun. "Sounds great, Max." She plastered on a smile.  
  
Isabel looked at the both of them and huffed away.  
  
"You ruined it, Max." Liz told him on the way to Max's car.  
  
Liz was going to transfer Aidan's seat into his car and he would follow her home and then Max was going to go over to Liz's house to help her put some furniture together.  
  
"She was ready to explode. I admit it was probably going to be funny, but let's humor her on her wedding?" He said holding the door open.  
  
"I guess so." She strapped Aidan's car seat in and plopped him in it. "I'll see you in a few minutes." She kissed Aidan's head before shutting the door.  
  
****  
  
"So, how long does Aidan sleep?" Max asked Liz after pulling the desk from the crate.  
  
"About an hour but because he didn't nap this morning I'd say we have about two. What about Lily?"  
  
"She'll wake up when she wants to." He shrugged and opened the instruction booklet.  
  
"Do you want my help or not?" Liz asked a bit softly knowing Jonathan usually liked to work alone.  
  
"You can help if you want to." He said softly.  
  
"Really?" She said almost too happily.  
  
"Sure." He grinned at her smile.  
  
She hesitantly made her way over to Max and sat down next to him. "Thank you so much for doing this, Max." She said shyly. "I ordered it a while ago so Alex could put it together before the wedding but it didn't get in until last weekend. Alex was so busy I couldn't ask him to do it."  
  
"It's fine, I didn't have anything else planned for today." He told her.  
  
They worked easily together as if they had worked together before.  
  
"Thanks for letting me help." She said quietly. While holding a board up while Max screwed it together.  
  
"No problem, why wouldn't I need an extra hand?" He said playfully.  
  
"Aidan's father always like to build everything by himself. My parents, as well as his, thought that females shouldn't do anything but stay at home. They were shocked I wanted to go to college." She shrugged seriously.  
  
It was an awkward moment. Neither had ever, in the past few times they'd seen each other, talked about the children's missing parents.  
  
"What are you studying?" Max asked to break the silence.  
  
"Education Major, I'm going to minor in Biology." She explained easily.  
  
"Biology?"  
  
"Yeah, sophomore year in high school, I had this really bad teacher and I've always loved biology and I thought it was a shame that so many kids were hating biology because of her." She laughed. "So I decided to fix it."  
  
"Good goal." He nodded.  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"Law." He said simply.  
  
"Interesting." She nodded.  
  
"I like it." He shrugged. "There, you can let go now." He gently removed her hand but didn't let it go when it had been.  
  
Liz looked from their joined hands to Max's face. Their eyes caught and held. Liz's breathing became very shallow.  
  
They began to drift towards each other. Liz was already kneeling very close to Max on the floor. Their lips touched for a very brief second before Liz abruptly pulled away.  
  
The contact between the two sent chills up Liz's body. She stared at where his hand lay atop hers. They had never really talked about being anything other than friends, yet they both knew, somewhere, that everyone else thought that they would be perfect together.  
  
Liz blushed and pulled her hand away gently.  
  
Max studied her still recovering from his lapse in attention. His mind had been telling him to let go of her hand but the rest of his body was telling him to hold on. Which was exactly what his hand did.  
  
"We can't do this, Max." She said softly not looking him in the eye.  
  
"Liz, I-" He started but was interrupted with Aidan's cry.  
  
"Mama!" Aidan shouted from his bedroom.  
  
Liz blushed and went to retrieve Aidan before he woke up Lilian.  
  
"Max, is it ok if she has a blanket over her head?" She called.  
  
"Is it pink?" He said unconcerned.  
  
"Yes." She called back.  
  
"It's fine."  
  
Aidan waddled over to Max tightly gripping his sippy cup. He set the sippy cup on the ground next to Max and plopped into his lap. "Tools!" He said excitedly.  
  
"You like tools?" Max asked.  
  
"Yes. Uncle Alex lets me play with his sometimes." He said happily.  
  
"Are you sure she's ok, Max?" Liz asked concerned.  
  
"Yeah, if you tried to take it off she'll wake up." He looked at her. She blushed and looked away.  
  
"Um, would you like something to eat? It's one o'clock." She told him.  
  
"Whatever you're having." He answered and showed Aidan how to hold the screwdriver easier.  
  
"Tuna ok?" She asked.  
  
"That's fine, thanks." He smiled and she blushed again. What was wrong with her? She scolded herself.  
  
"Aidan, what do you want?" Liz asked already knowing his answer.  
  
"Peanut butter and jelly." It actually sounded more like peabutter n deli, but Liz knew what it meant.  
  
"Alright." She smiled. He grinned back at her.  
  
****  
  
"No, Dada!" Lily slapped his hand away from her hair. Her hair dark hair was starting to lighten to a blonde. Her curls framed her face perfectly when she'd let him comb them into submission.  
  
"Lilybird, hold still." He held the squirming girl in his lap.  
  
"No!" She almost shouted. Giving up he quickly clipped a clip in her hair enough to keep it out of her face so as not to annoy Isabel.  
  
For a little girl of 14 months she had a lot of hair.  
  
"You wanna go pick up Liz and Aidan?" Max asked.  
  
"Yes!" She said. Her third word.  
  
"Alright then. Come on."  
  
He was at the door before he could say anymore. 


	8. Questions

Title: Two Kinds of Wonderful  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, we'd still have a show to watch. Summary: Max is a single father and Liz is a single mother, both are in college. Rating: PG-13 Couple: M/L  
  
Requirements:  
  
- No POV's  
  
- No aliens  
  
- Any rating  
  
- Must end with Max and Liz together.  
  
Liz's father met them outside and Liz gave Max a look sending him inside the restaurant without her.  
  
"Want me to take Aidan?" Max asked.  
  
"Yes, please." Liz transferred Aidan's hand to his.  
  
Liz made sure Max and Lilian were inside before falling into her father's arms.  
  
"I missed you, Daddy." Liz said giving him a tight hug.  
  
"I missed you too, Liz." He answered back. "Nancy's been kind of stingy, now that you're in town." He apologized.  
  
"I understand." She nodded. Liz didn't understand. How can your wife be more important or more influential than your only child?  
  
"How's Aidan doing?" He asked shyly.  
  
"He's good, started daycare."  
  
"Good, good." They ran out of things to talk about. Liz loved her father but was never able to quite get over Nancy.  
  
"Daddy, can we get together sometime, so Aidan can get to know you, without Nancy?" She asked wanting to join Isabel's party.  
  
"I'll see."  
  
"I have questions, questions about Mommy." Liz said honestly looking at him. She had always called her mother Mommy her entire life. Having your mother die when she was still 'Mommy' does that to you.  
  
"I don't know if I have answers but yes, we'll try to get together."  
  
"Thank you, let's go inside." Liz turned and entered the restaurant.  
  
"Mama, took you long time to come." Aidan complained and crawled into his mother's lap.  
  
"I'm sorry, Sweet." She kissed his head.  
  
"Hello, everyone." Liz greeted.  
  
Everyone murmured hello and went back to talking about Isabel's wedding.  
  
Liz felt honored to be asked so many questions about her opinion on this or that. Her own wedding had been large and planned by Mrs. Parker and Nancy.  
  
Max was shocked at how much Liz knew about weddings, then wasn't, because she was a female, all females knew about such things. He didn't doubt his own Lilybird would be an expert by the time she was five.  
  
After dinner they headed back to the Evan's house. Before they entered the house Max pulled Liz to the side.  
  
"Can we talk quickly?" He asked studying her face.  
  
"Umm, sure." She said sending Aidan inside. Lily was already with Diane Evans.  
  
"What's up?" She asked trying to keep it casual.  
  
"I know now really isn't the time yet, I think we need to talk." Max said honestly.  
  
"Alright."  
  
He led her to the side of the house where there was a bench to sit and they sat.  
  
"About earlier, I'm going to tell you how I feel." He faced her.  
  
Her face was masked he couldn't read her expression. "Go ahead." She said slowly.  
  
"Honestly, I feel concerned because I'm not sure you liked what happened earlier, but I'm happy because honestly, I've never felt that before with just a small kiss. And I think we should follow what everyone else is saying and go for it."  
  
"It?" She asked.  
  
"Be together." He specified looking down.  
  
"OK, my turn." She said. She had been planning on talking with him, just not this soon. Aidan had napped once more after Max had left and had given her plenty of time to think.  
  
"I think that, we can't go forward with this right now. I know we both want to but, it's not just our feelings and hearts at risk here. There are two children in there right now who are depending on us, and can easily get attached to one another as well as we to them." She said quickly.  
  
"Liz, they're already so attached to each other. Lily is so comfortable with you and she's only seen you a few times."  
  
"Max, I know this." She pointed out. "I'd love to be your friend for life, I don't want to chance that friendship with anything more."  
  
"We could try." He pleaded, he knew he should push her into something she didn't want to be in but he knew somewhere, from their brief kiss earlier, that she wanted it too. "We could go slow."  
  
Liz looked at the ground frustrated. She sighed. She resisted the urge to hold her rings around her neck. It was easier to do than she had thought. Maybe she was overcoming it. The thought made her sick and tears flooded her eyes. She sniffled. Maybe it would be good for her to try something new.  
  
"Liz?" He asked concerned. "I'm sorry, I, maybe we should drop the subject and go inside." He felt like kicking himself.  
  
"I think we could try to go slow." She said slowly and looked up at him.  
  
"What?" He said staring at her.  
  
"I, we can go slow." She said with more confidence.  
  
"Can I hug you?" He asked unsure of himself.  
  
She laughed and wiped tears away as she nodded.  
  
"Mama!" Aidan shouted through the window.  
  
"Coming, Aidan." She called pulling away from him. "This can't get in the way of them." She said seriously.  
  
"I know, it never could." Max was relieved that it would be easy because she had a kid of her own anyway. She knew it was important to be there for them over other people. He didn't even know her whole story but he knew by the time he was through, he would.  
  
They turned walked hand in hand inside the house. As the evening wore on both children became drowsy. Aidan crawled back into Liz's lap and plopped his thumb in his mouth. He pulled her wedding rings from inside her shirt and clasped them in his tiny hand.  
  
Liz had explained them to him multiple times but being so small she doubted he understood much.  
  
Once again Lily looked at Aidan and was about to burst into tears but Max caught it in time to pull out a bottle to quiet her.  
  
"Hush, Lilybird." Handing her the pink blanket she abruptly covered her eyes.  
  
"Max, I have some pajamas here for her, if you want." His mother offered.  
  
"That would be great, thanks Mom." He nodded and started to get up.  
  
"I'll take her, she needs to spend some time with Nana, right Lily?" Diane asked taking the girl in her arms.  
  
"Thanks." Max let her remove Lilian from her lap.  
  
Soon after that Max heard giggling from the back rooms.  
  
"Is that Lily?" A voice was in the doorway.  
  
Liz turned towards the unfamiliar voice.  
  
"Gracie!" Isabel jumped up from her chair.  
  
"I'm sorry, Isabel, we had a last minute project to work on and my group wasn't doing too well." She set her bags on the floor.  
  
"It's fine, and yes that was Lily." She ushered her in.  
  
"Hello, Maxie." She hugged him.  
  
"Gracie." He hugged her tightly back.  
  
"I'm sorry." Isabel said as if remembering. "This is Alex's sister, Liz, and her son Aidan. Liz this is our baby sister, Grace."  
  
"Hello, nice to meet you." Liz smiled at the girl. She was a mix of her brother and sister. She Had Isabel's light hair yet intense eyes like Max. She was a missing piece of the puzzle. She connected the two perfectly.  
  
"Nice to meet you, too." She said shyly.  
  
Max sat back down next to Liz so Isabel could sit next to Grace since he knew they would make him move anyway.  
  
Liz got comfortable shifting Aidan and lightly resting her head on Max's shoulder the earlier awkwardness gone from their movements.  
  
Grace looked curiously between the two. She was very observant, as a little girl and that had carried over to her current life. She turned to Isabel and was about to ask what was going on when Isabel shook her head once and Grace understood.  
  
"Where are Mom and Dad?" She asked instead.  
  
"Getting Lily ready for bed." Isabel said.  
  
"How is my favorite niece?"  
  
"She's doing great she says three words now." Max's eyes glowed with pride.  
  
"And one of those words happens to be Grace?" She joked.  
  
"Never." Max shook his head. She tossed a pillow at his head with surprising accuracy.  
  
"Grace!" Diane Evans returned.  
  
"Hi, Mom." She stood and went to greet her parents.  
  
"Dada!" Lily flew into Max's arms. Because she would rather be with him and not her Nana and Papa, he knew she was tired.  
  
He turned to Liz to ask her if she was ready to go she nodded tiredly at Aidan. "If you're ready."  
  
"I am, so is she." Max said pulling the blanket off his daughter's face.  
  
"No Dada!" She replied furiously and tried to pull the blanket back.  
  
"Hush, Lily." He quieted her down and stood up.  
  
"We'll see you tomorrow morning, Izzy." Max told her reaching in for an awkward hug. "And everyone else too." He said good-bye.  
  
"Goodbye everyone." Liz said and they exited the house together.  
  
"What's going on between those two?" Grace once they were situated in bed. They still shared a bed when Grace was home for old time sakes. She had spent many nights during their early teen years there talking about awkward moments and boys. This was the last night they could do it freely.  
  
"Nothing. Go to bed girls." Diane Evans stood at the door.  
  
Isabel laughed. "I'm getting married tomorrow and you're still treating me like your baby."  
  
"But I'm the baby." Grace declared.  
  
They remembered what a sore subject that was for her. She was always concerned that she would no longer be the baby of the family.  
  
"You are my baby." Diane hugged her youngest child.  
  
"Good. Night, Mom." She said.  
  
"Good night, girls." She shut off the light and closed the door.  
  
"There is so something going on there." Grace rolled over on her side.  
  
"I know. We've all known, Maria's trying to push it, Mom says we should stay out of it and let it happen on it's own." Isabel shrugged facing her sister.  
  
"I think not." Grace said.  
  
"I agree. Something happened today, they're whole attitude towards each other changed though." Isabel crinkled her brow.  
  
"Interesting." Grace nodded.  
  
"We'll figure it out after my wedding?" Isabel asked.  
  
"I think that's a good idea."  
  
"Goodnight, Gracie." She said.  
  
"Night, Izzy." 


	9. The Wedding

Title: Two Kinds of Wonderful  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, we'd still have a show to watch. Summary: Max is a single father and Liz is a single mother, both are in college. Rating: PG-13 Couple: M/L  
  
Requirements:  
  
- No POV's  
  
- No aliens  
  
- Any rating  
  
- Must end with Max and Liz together.  
  
"Dada." Lily sat studying Max's sleeping face.  
  
"Dada!" She tried louder.  
  
Still no movement. She climbed onto his chest and leaned forward. "Dada!" She shouted.  
  
Suddenly she was flipped over and being tickled mercilessly.  
  
"No, Dada!" She grunted through giggles.  
  
He tickled her a while longer before picking her up and holding her close.  
  
"Morning, Lilybird, why aren't you in your bed?" He asked.  
  
She smiled and pointed towards the phone where the light was blinking. He leaned over and pressed the button.  
  
"Hey Max, it's me, Liz. I know it's early but Isabel wants all females at your mother's house including Lily, by nine o'clock. If you want we can switch children since the males are to be at my parent's house, including Aidan. Call me back when you get the message."  
  
Max smiled and got out of bed. He set Lily on the floor and she went running off somewhere. Max picked up the phone and dialed Liz's number.  
  
"Hello?" She asked sounding somewhat angry.  
  
"Hey, it's me." Max replied.  
  
"Hi, Max. Aidan sit down." She ordered her son.  
  
"Having fun?" He asked.  
  
"Aidan is." He heard her moving around Aidan let out a howl of protest.  
  
"Do you want me to call you back?"  
  
"No, Aidan, hush." She told him again and all was silent. "OK, that's better, what were you going to say?"  
  
"Do you want me to come by and pick up Aidan?" He said jumping into it.  
  
"If that's ok with you. He's acting up right now, I don't think you really want to be around him right now." She said wiping the hair from her face.  
  
"It's fine. Lily can have a pretty good attitude when she wants to too. I'll be there around 8:45?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"I wanna talk!" He heard Aidan shout.  
  
"No, Aidan, you'll see him in a few minutes." Liz told him.  
  
"Fine."  
  
"I'll talk to you later, Max." Liz said quickly seeing as Aidan became more upset.  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Dada." Lily pulled on his pajama pants and held up her hands.  
  
"Come on Lilybird, let's go get breakfast." He walked into the kitchen.  
  
****  
  
Aidan threw open the door as soon as Liz unlocked the dead bolt.  
  
"Aidan." She said angrily.  
  
"Max!" He ran into his legs and held on.  
  
Lily smiled and went eagerly into Liz's arms. Liz smiled at her as Lily rubbed her face in her hair.  
  
"Are you ready to go?" Max asked Aidan.  
  
"Yes." He said quickly.  
  
"You want to say goodbye to your Mama?" He asked.  
  
"No." He turned away from her.  
  
"Did you guys have a disagreement?" Max asked amused.  
  
"Yes." Liz glared at her son yet still leaned in to give him a kiss on his forehead.  
  
"No." He pushed away.  
  
"Fine. I'll see you later then." She said with a grin on her face.  
  
"No, Mama!" He reached for her causing Max to have to tighten his grip.  
  
She hugged him goodbye and reassured him that she would see him in a few short hours.  
  
Lily ignored Max once she was in Liz's arms.  
  
"Goodbye Lilybird." He said kissing her head.  
  
She waved and turned back to face Liz.  
  
Max smiled and winked at Liz before leading Aidan to the car.  
  
****  
  
"How do you get you hair so perfectly curled so perfectly without a curling iron?" Grace asked Liz.  
  
"I've always worn curlers, Nancy burned me with a curling iron when I was little I don't trust them anymore." Liz straightened a curl a little uncomfortably and turned to the anxious bride. "Isabel, are you nervous?"  
  
"Never." She huffed trying to seem more confident then she felt at the time.  
  
"I was, of course you're nervous." Liz told her setting Lily on her chair and moving over to stand behind Isabel.  
  
"Well, maybe a little." She shrugged.  
  
"Someone write that down." Maria announced. "Isabel just announced she's nervous."  
  
"Shut up." Isabel chucked a comb at her.  
  
Maria let out one more giggle before returning to her own hair.  
  
"Izzy, you seem really anxious." Grace sat down next to her sister.  
  
"Nothing is going right." She leaned her elbows down on the vanity table and rested her head in them.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Liz asked her. She knew about the before wedding jitters.  
  
"Nothing is right. My hair won't fall my make-up won't go on right." She said exasperated.  
  
"Well, we can fix that. That's why we're here." Liz stood up. "Maria help Isabel with her make-up. I'll do her hair. Grace, work on her hands and nails." She took charge.  
  
Lily napped while the girls finished up on Isabel.  
  
When she awoke all the girls focused on getting her ready.  
  
At the end all five girls were gorgeous.  
  
****  
  
Four and a half hours later Max was holding an upset Aidan in his arms.  
  
"I want my Mama." He said quietly into Max's neck.  
  
"She's coming." Max rubbed his back trying to comfort him, wishing it was true. He was missing both Lily and Liz.  
  
"Max, Isabel will kill you if she sees you both wrinkled." Michael warned.  
  
"I don't care, Michael." He glared at him.  
  
"Geez, don't shoot." He held his hands up in surrender.  
  
"I'm sorry." Max apologized. "Where's Alex?"  
  
"Here, waiting as I was before." Alex entered the room.  
  
"Here's some chocolate." Max offered. Aidan had already eaten his lunch and he didn't see a reason why he shouldn't have it.  
  
"The girls are here!" Someone announced from the next room.  
  
Max sighed in relief. "Your Mama's here, Aidan, eat it quick." Max told him.  
  
Aidan obliged and face lit up as he turned to see if he could see her.  
  
"Here let's straighten up first." Max set him on the ground and flattened his tiny tuxedo. He pitied the poor boy for having to wear it so young in his life yet he seemed to be enjoying it.  
  
Max held his hand tightly as he guided him out to the parked limo.  
  
"Is it gonna start soon?" Aidan asked looking up at him.  
  
"Yes." Max told him as he too looked anxiously at the vehicle.  
  
First Grace made an appearance.  
  
Then Maria.  
  
Then Liz. The bridesmaid dress had been perfectly fitted for her. It was a long dress that reached her ankles and was accented with a small set of pearls which all of the other bridesmaids were wearing. On her head she wore her hair in slight waves and a small garland made with flowers that matched her dress perfectly.  
  
Then Lily stepped out from the car holding tight to Liz's hand. She was wearing a dress that tied in the back with a bow that wasn't too big. Her dress reached her knees but her diaper was cleverly concealed by cloth that Diane Evans had made to fit over her diaper. On her head she wore a tiny version of what the other girls had on their heads but hers was fastened tighter.  
  
Then Isabel, like every other bride on her wedding day, was gorgeous. She wore her hair up with a tiny tiara in front. Her dress was a more old fashioned, buttoned up dress. But it suited everything perfectly.  
  
"Dada!" Lily exclaimed when she saw her father.  
  
Liz let her go as she ran into his arms.  
  
"Hey, pretty girl." Max squatted down not willing to risk Isabel's wrath and pick her up.  
  
"Hi." She said smiling, pleased with her new word.  
  
Max smiled.  
  
Lily latched on to Max's hand as he made his way over to Liz as Aidan was apologizing.  
  
"I sorry, Mama." He said sadly as he hugged her.  
  
"It's alright." She comforted him. "What do you have on you?" She asked spying something on his face.  
  
"Don't know." He shrugged.  
  
"Is it chocolate?" Liz asked.  
  
He started to shake his head no then nodded slowly as a grin spread across his face.  
  
"Who gave it to you?"  
  
"Max." He grinned.  
  
"He was sad." Max defended himself from behind her.  
  
"It's ok, Max I'm not angry." Liz stood up to face him.  
  
"You look beautiful." Max complimented her without thinking.  
  
She blushed and ducked her head. "So is Lily." Liz pointed the attention away from her.  
  
"Yes she is." Her hair framed her face like the other girls except her curls were natural. "How'd you get her to sit so you could do her hair?" He asked.  
  
"She was glad to. But her hair didn't take to long. That hairstyle is made for little girls. I guarantee it nor the garland will fall out." Liz said looking pleased with herself.  
  
"You look good too." Liz complimented him. "Aidan looks mighty handsome."  
  
"Yeah, well, what would you expect, he's your son." Max shrugged.  
  
"Thank you." Liz took the compliment to heart. She felt rather naked without her necklace even her pearls didn't make up for it.  
  
"Everyone let's go inside." Nancy directed everyone inside.  
  
Max noticed Liz scowl and draw Aidan closer to her side and wondered what it was about and put it in the back of his mind for later.  
  
Aidan made his way slowly down the aisle with a face bright red to match his freckles.  
  
Lily made a big deal of spreading the flowers and everyone awed at her cuteness.  
  
The ceremony went smoothly for the most part.  
  
Until Lily decided she wanted to sit down with her Nana rather than stand next to the bridesmaids.  
  
"Go on." Diane urged.  
  
"No." She let out a whine.  
  
Isabel scrunched up her face and Diane knew just to leave her where she was.  
  
Later Lily walked over to Max and stood next to him and Aidan. When it was time for the rings to be delivered she walked calmly with him over to Alex and smiled at him when he took the rings.  
  
For the rest of the ceremony she was quiet.  
  
****  
  
Max waited impatiently for the newlyweds to finish their first dance.  
  
Soon as they were done he stood up and handed Lily to Grace.  
  
"Dance with me?" He asked Liz.  
  
She looked around her. "Me?"  
  
"Yes. Come on." He held his hand out to her.  
  
"Ok." She stood up and took his hand.  
  
They danced easily in each other's arms.  
  
"Where's your necklace?" He asked absently.  
  
"What necklace?"  
  
"The gold chain, I think there's a charm or something on it."  
  
"Oh, it's at home. Isabel wanted us to wear the pearls and it would look to tacky with two necklaces." She explained.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"So, interesting ceremony."  
  
"Yes." Liz without thinking. She wasn't really thinking about anything except she was in another man's arms since Jonathan's death that was not either her father or brother's.  
  
He moved so smoothly like he'd done this millions of times before.  
  
"You dance well." Liz complimented.  
  
"Yeah." He laughed. "My mother stuck me, and Isabel in a ballroom dancing class when I was nine, Isabel ten. Gracie did ballet."  
  
"You took ballroom dancing?"  
  
"Yes. I actually loved it until freshmen year when it just wasn't cool anymore."  
  
"That long?"  
  
"We went to competitions and everything. Won a few even." He said proudly.  
  
"And you stopped because it wasn't cool anymore?"  
  
"Nope, boys are insecure at that age."  
  
"Maybe I'll do that with Aidan." Liz thought about it.  
  
"Looks like he already has a partner." Max turned them easily so that she could see Aidan trying to dance with Lily.  
  
"How cute." Liz laughed. "We should get a picture.  
  
"My mom already beat you to it." He nodded towards where Diane was pointing a camera at the small children.  
  
"She's so cute with Lily."  
  
"I know. She's in love with her." Max smiled as his mother tried to instruct the children, her face alight with pleasure. "She's even more happy because there's two of them now."  
  
"Yeah, Aidan seems to be taken with her."  
  
They fell into a comfortable silence as another song came on.  
  
"Liz, you wanna get together soon?" Max asked.  
  
"Yes." She said a little too quickly for her liking.  
  
"Ok." He said shocked that she answered so soon.  
  
"I said that rather quickly." She blushed.  
  
"How about next Saturday?" He asked confidently.  
  
She thought about it for second. "Sure." She nodded her consent.  
  
"Maybe I don't want to go as slowly as we had planned." She looked him in the eye.  
  
"Either do I." He agreed. "Can I kiss you?"  
  
"Yeah, but one thing." She held him away for a second. "Next time, don't ask." 


	10. Asthma

Title: Two Kinds of Wonderful  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, we'd still have a show to watch. Summary: Max is a single father and Liz is a single mother, both are in college. Rating: PG-13 Couple: M/L  
  
Requirements:  
  
- No POV's  
  
- No aliens  
  
- Any rating  
  
- Must end with Max and Liz together.  
  
"Mrs. Parker, may I have a word with you?" The childcare director asked. "I'm Mrs. McConnell."  
  
Liz studied the lady. She appeared to be in her early sixties.  
  
"Um, sure. Aidan go on in." She set him down and he ran eagerly to Lilian's side.  
  
"It's nothing bad." The woman assured her with a smile.  
  
"That makes me feel better." Liz let out her breath.  
  
"Aidan's third birthday is the 12th of July correct?"  
  
"Yes." She nodded.  
  
"That's only a few weeks away."  
  
"I know." Liz idly tapped her fingers the desk. She was already running late, this woman needed to get to the point.  
  
"Would you mind if we start mixing him in with the older kids? His maturity level is high for his age; he'll fit in easily. He's getting too old for the baby room anymore." The woman explained.  
  
"I don't see the harm in that." Liz consented.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Absolutely."  
  
"Liz!" Liz turned to the small voice.  
  
"Lily." Liz squatted down to her level. Max had worked with her on Saturday to get her to say her name but she just couldn't get it. Liz was surprised she had learned it.  
  
"Hi." Lily said cheerfully. She gave a little cough, which caused Liz to frown.  
  
Lily threw her arms around her neck. They hadn't seen each other since the previous Sunday morning at church. It was now Thursday morning.  
  
"She's picking up words quickly." The director noticed.  
  
"Yeah." Liz stood up with her in her arms. "It took her all Saturday to get that. Her father was so intent on her learning that."  
  
"That's right! Isabel Evans and that boy from New Mexico got married. I had forgotten. I've known Isabel since she was a tiny baby."  
  
"Yeah, that boy's my brother." She said patiently.  
  
"That's right. Where did they go for their honeymoon?"  
  
"Europe."  
  
"Yes, I remember now. You must forgive me." The woman smiled.  
  
"And you're with Max Evans?"  
  
Liz just ducked her head.  
  
"Dada!" Lily exclaimed hearing her father's name.  
  
"You don't have to answer that, sweetie." She laid a hand over Liz's. "Max is a nice boy. I've known him since he was younger than Lily. He deserves someone sweet like you. Unlike that other girl. I won't mention her name in front of Lily though. She was no good if you ask me but I wasn't about to interfere with Max. I think it was one of the best things for those two, her walking out on them. Although she did produce mighty cute children."  
  
Lily slid back to the floor to play with Aidan who was waiting patiently for her to greet his mother.  
  
"I think she looks like Max." Liz said idly.  
  
"She does, but she does look a lot like Tess. The curls, the blonde." The woman turned to face the children. "But I won't think of that. And I bet you have to get going. Don't let me keep you here, Darling."  
  
Liz watched Lily stop to catch her breath after chasing Aidan around the room once. She went into a brief coughing fit.  
  
"Is she alright?" Liz asked concerned.  
  
"Yeah, she'll be fine in a moment. She just had her medicine." Mrs. McConnell assured her.  
  
"Goodbye, Mrs. McConnell."  
  
"Goodbye, Mrs. Parker." Her face scrunched when she said the name but the shook her head.  
  
"Please, call me Liz." Liz corrected quickly.  
  
"Alright." She turned and went to entertain some of the older children.  
  
Liz rushed back to her car shoving the conversation into the back of her mind.  
  
****  
  
"Dada." Lily called out later that night.  
  
Max shot up in bed.  
  
He heard her choking, crying, and trying to call for him. He was out of the bed in a second.  
  
"Dada!" She called again more desperately.  
  
"Max, what is it?" Gracie was up as well.  
  
"She can't breathe, it's her asthma. Wrap her in a blanket and take her outside for me?" Max asked running to the bathroom to collect her breathing machine.  
  
"No, Dada!" Lily said angrily against her aunt's shirt. "Dada!" She screamed panicking.  
  
"He's coming." Grace rocked her, trying to stay calm herself.  
  
She was seized by another coughing fit as she tried to get air to her starving lungs.  
  
"Dada, help!" She cried. Max took her in his arms where she curled into them.  
  
"Calm down, Lilybird." Max rocked her. He pulled the blanket tighter around her.  
  
"Dada." She cried into him.  
  
"Sit up, Lilybird. Let me put your mask on." He told her gently.  
  
"Dada." She said again still in distress. She calmed a bit when the air was successfully started.  
  
"Is it too cold?" He asked.  
  
"No." She scooted into him and relaxed.  
  
He sat there in the silence. Calming his fried nerves.  
  
"You need me to do anything more, Maxie?" Gracie said through a yawn. She knew Lily would be ok.  
  
"No, Gracie. We'll be ok." Max nodded grateful for her help.  
  
"Goodnight then." She returned to the spare bedroom in Max's apartment.  
  
"Are you better?" Max asked when her breathing slowed and her eyes were starting to droop.  
  
"Yes." She affirmed.  
  
"You wanna go back to bed?"  
  
"Yes." She said sleepily. She pulled the mask off, letting it fall.  
  
He bent over the crib to set her back. "No!" She looked fearfully at the crib and pointed towards Max's bed.  
  
"My bed?" He asked.  
  
"Yes." She buried her head in his neck.  
  
"Alright." Max laid down on his bed. She crawled on top of his chest and clung to the shirt.  
  
"Are you scared, Lilybird?" Max asked.  
  
She nodded her head. She stuck her fingers in her mouth and pulled the blanket over her head.  
  
"Night, night." She said and snuggled into sleep.  
  
"Goodnight, Lilybird." He whispered, both finally breathing calmly again.  
  
TBC 


	11. ER

[b] I'm on a roll tonight guys! It might be a while before I get the next part up! I typed this all in less than an hour!  
  
Title: Two Kinds of Wonderful  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, we'd still have a show to watch. Summary: Max is a single father and Liz is a single mother, both are in college. Rating: PG-13 Couple: M/L  
  
Requirements:  
  
- No POV's  
  
- No aliens  
  
- Any rating  
  
- Must end with Max and Liz together. [/b]  
  
"Mama, will you stop now?" Aidan asked Liz.  
  
"Yes, Aidan. Do you want breakfast before we go?" She collected her needed piano music for her orchestra audition.  
  
"Yes. Oatmeal." He sat down and figured out the "Blue's Clues" way before Steve did.  
  
The phone rang. "Hello?" She picked up.  
  
"Hey, it's me, Max." She heard.  
  
"Hi." She didn't say his name so Aidan wouldn't throw a fit.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing today?" He asked quietly.  
  
"I have an audition for the college orchestra, Aidan's going to daycare this morning." She told him.  
  
"What time will you pick him up?" He asked.  
  
"Around noon."  
  
"Perfect. Liz, could you do something for me please?" He asked.  
  
"Sure." Liz said without hesitation. "What do you need?"  
  
"Lily has asthma." He said quickly.  
  
"Oh, poor thing. Is she OK?" Liz asked concerned.  
  
"She had an attack last night. She's still a little weak, she's on the machine right now. Could you, when you pick up Aidan, check on her. She's a little shy about it and won't tell anyone if she can't breathe except me." He explained. "I'd have my mother or Gracie but they just left to visit my grandmother up in Palmdale."  
  
"Just check on her, make sure she's breathing ok?" Max asked. "I'll be on break so just call me if she's not?"  
  
"Sure." She said.  
  
"Ok.. I have to go. You have my cell number right?"  
  
"Yes. Go so you're not late." She rushed him. "Goodbye."  
  
"Bye, Liz." He said much more relieved.  
  
****  
  
"Ms. Parker, I've never seen anyone that can sight read Shepherd's Hey." The conductor said amazed. "How long have you played?"  
  
"Since I was four." She said.  
  
"Outstanding. When can you start? We've needed and accompanist for a long while." He said happily.  
  
"I do have a two year old, soon to be three. I have to work around him." She said making her position clear.  
  
"And the father?" He asked annoyed that such talent had gone to waste at some teenage whim.  
  
"My late husband died a few years ago." She made sure he was very clear that Aidan was perfectly legitimate.  
  
"I'm sorry for implying, Mrs. Parker, then?" He asked once again happy.  
  
"Correct." She nodded.  
  
"Well, if we tell you enough in advance, could you play for us Mrs. Parker?" He asked with hope.  
  
"Yes, or if there was a schedule."  
  
"That can be arranged. Thank you very much, Mrs. Parker." The conductor shook her hand.  
  
"Thank you." Liz responded pleased with herself.  
  
"Practice on Tuesday." He informed her.  
  
"Alright." She agreed and hurried to the daycare center.  
  
****  
  
Aidan ran happily towards the door. "Wait Aidan, we have to check on Lily first." Liz grabbed his hand and directed him towards the two and under room.  
  
"Lily's here?" He asked.  
  
"Yes, she is."  
  
"Why she wasn't with me?" He said angrily.  
  
"Because you go with the three year olds now, Sweet."  
  
"No. Lily too!" He said defiantly and stopped.  
  
"Lily's too little for the three year old room." She bent down to his level.  
  
"I miss her." He said hugging Liz.  
  
"I know. Let's go see how she's doing." Liz stood up again.  
  
Lily laid on her cot with her blanket over her head, fingers in her mouth. It was hard to breathe. She felt that scratchy feeling again. She wanted her Dada, but he wasn't here. She'd even settle for Aunt Gracie. Her eyes started to cloud with tears. She took deep breaths which wasn't ver easy.  
  
The world started to spin. Tears poured from her eyes. She was concentrating on breathing. Getting the air to her lungs desperately.  
  
She was starting to panic. Pretty soon there wouldn't be any air for her to scream with.  
  
Lily started to drift off to sleep, when she heard a familiar voice. Liz!  
  
"Mrs. McConnell, Max wanted me to check up on Lilian." She said stopping at the desk.  
  
"She's sleeping, right now."  
  
"Um, OK, how has her breathing been?" She Liz shifted.  
  
"She hasn't complained."  
  
"She doesn't complain." Liz said worried.  
  
"May I see her?"  
  
"She's sleeping."  
  
"Mrs. McConnell, please I need to call Max and let him know." Liz said irritated with the lady.  
  
"Call him and tell him that she's sleeping." She said.  
  
"Mrs. McConnell, please." Liz said determined.  
  
"Liz!" She heard her voice.  
  
Liz's head shot up. "Lily?"  
  
At the sight of Liz, Lily burst into tears. "Liz." She held her hands out to her.  
  
Ignoring Mrs. McConnell's protests, she stepped behind the desk and went to Lily's cot.  
  
"Are you alright, Lily?" Liz scooped her up.  
  
"Mrs. Parker!" Mrs. McConnell said annoyed.  
  
Liz ignored her. "Lily, say something." Liz looked at her worriedly.  
  
Lily's breathing grew shallower. "Help, Dada." Her normally chirpy voice scratchy.  
  
She called out for him, even though he wasn't anywhere in sight.  
  
"She can't breathe, Mrs. McConnell, do you have her nebulizer here?"  
  
"No, Max didn't leave one."  
  
"Then call 911!" Liz said angrily. How was such a woman in charge of daycare?  
  
"I'm calling."  
  
"Lily, look at me." Liz said trying to keep her focused.  
  
"Dada!" She called. He could help her, he always did.  
  
"He's coming." She'd call him from the hospital.  
  
The ambulance was there soon.  
  
Liz climbed inside the back and pulled a very scared Aidan up behind her. "Is Lily ok, Mama?" He asked worriedly.  
  
"Yes, she will be." They had her hooked up to a breathing treatment.  
  
Her eyes were still frantically looking for her dada. Her eyes landed on Liz and she started crying again. "Liz!" She said through the mask.  
  
"Are you her mother?" One of the EMTs asked.  
  
"No, she wouldn't call me Liz if I were. I'm her father's girlfriend."  
  
"What can you tell us about her?" He said patiently.  
  
"Her name is Lilian Evans, middle name Grace. She's fifteen months old. She was born on March 11, 2005." She told him. "Oh, yeah, she was two months premature."  
  
"Anything more?"  
  
"Her doctor is Dr. Reyes." That's all she could recall. "That's it."  
  
"Can you contact her father for me?" He asked.  
  
"Yes." She pulled out her cell.  
  
"Max." She said trying to stay calm when he answered the phone.  
  
"Liz?" He heard the distress in her tone.  
  
"Go to CHOC ER, we're on the way there with Lily." She said simply, and then hung up the phone before she burst into tears herself.  
  
[b]TBC  
  
A/N: About Lily's asthma, I had my first asthma attack when I was four and it's only gotten worse as I've gotten older. But I remember how scared I was when I had my first one and I was four. I can't even imagine a fifteen month old. So that's that. Mattie[/b] 


	12. Aftermath

Title: Two Kinds of Wonderful  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, we'd still have a show to watch. Summary: Max is a single father and Liz is a single mother, both are in college. Rating: PG-13 Couple: M/L  
  
Requirements:  
  
- No POV's  
  
- No aliens  
  
- Any rating  
  
- Must end with Max and Liz together.  
  
Lily watched quietly as Liz paced anxiously in the small curtained off room.  
  
Aidan sat next to Lily on the bed she was resting on.  
  
"Mama?" Aidan slid off the hospital bed and rested his hand on her pant leg.  
  
"Yes, Sweetheart." She concentrated on calming herself down. Everything was fine. Lily didn't need anymore treatments, and Max would be there in a few minutes. Why was she continuing to be nervous?  
  
"Max is here." He pointed between the curtains to the receptionist desk.  
  
"Dada!" Lily shouted. Liz saw his head jerk up.  
  
She pulled the curtain back. "Max, in here."  
  
Max rushed past the desk taking the clipboard with medical information with him.  
  
"How are you doing, Lilybird?" He asked looking his daughter over. Liz took the clipboard from his hands so he was free to pick her up.  
  
"Hi, Dada." She smiled happily.  
  
"I think she's fine, Max." Liz's nerves were still on end maybe it was the hospital.  
  
Max sat down with Lily on the chair to fill out the forms. Liz returned them to the receptionist.  
  
Liz's face had worry etched all over her face when she returned.  
  
"Liz, you said so yourself, she's fine." Max said noticing.  
  
"I know, I don't really like hospitals." She said.  
  
"You don't have to stay." Max said, not wanting her to be anywhere she wasn't comfortable.  
  
"I don't have my car, and I want to stay here with you." She sat down in the opposite char.  
  
"Book." Aidan pulled a board book from her purse and held it out to her.  
  
"He likes to read." Max smiled.  
  
"Yeah." Liz pulled him up onto his lap.  
  
"See!" Lily said pointing to the book.  
  
"Alright, come here." Both kids settled into Liz's lap to read the book.  
  
Half hour later and 5 times of [I]Knock, Knock, Who's There[/I] the doctor finally entered the makeshift room.  
  
"Dr. Reyes." Max stood up.  
  
"Hello, Max, Lily." She smiled.  
  
Lily plopped two fingers in her mouth and turned towards Liz. She didn't like the doctor.  
  
"Ms. Parker, Aidan." She looked puzzled at seeing Liz there.  
  
"So how are we today, Miss Lily." She lifted a reluctant Lily from Liz's lap and stood her on the table.  
  
"Dada." She said.  
  
"In a moment. Hold still, Sweetie." She said taking the stethoscope from around her neck and putting them on. "She sounds less congested, Max, which is a good sign." The doctor said.  
  
"How bad." He put his hands in his pocket looking nervous.  
  
"Not too much, Aidan, you wanna hear?" She asked.  
  
"Please." Aidan jumped down from his mother's lap.  
  
The doctor showed him how to put them on and he heard the steady beat of her heart.  
  
"Wow." His eyes lid up.  
  
"Hear." Lily demanded.  
  
The doctor took the stethoscope from Aidan and let her hear. Puzzled she took them off and handed them back.  
  
"Bye." She looked at the doctor.  
  
"Lilybird, no." Max smiled. "That means she's done playing with you."  
  
"Well, I'm just about done too." The doctor smiled. "She's fine, just give her a treatment when she wakes up in the morning, and before she goes to bed. Also, anytime she seems to need it give her liquid Albuterol. I trust she has enough refills?"  
  
"Yes." Max said.  
  
"Alright, I'll tell the receptionist to sign you out, you're free to go." She smiled.  
  
"Bye, kids." She left.  
  
Lily glared after her.  
  
****  
  
"You wanna come over tonight?" Max asked dropping Liz off to pick up her car at the daycare center.  
  
"Sure. I'll make something. We can watch a movie or something."  
  
"Sounds fun. See you around, say 5ish?" He asked.  
  
"Sure, sounds good." Liz smiled and sat Aidan in his car seat.  
  
"Bye, Max and Lily!" Aidan called and waved.  
  
****  
  
"Aidan, come talk to Oma." Liz called taking off her reading glasses.  
  
Aidan ran into the room and eagerly took the phone from his mother. "Hi, Oma. Miss you." He said sadly. "And Lewis."  
  
Liz got up to mark the calendar, Aidan's Oma and Opa, his paternal grandparents, were bringing their dog, Lewis, out the following month for his birthday.  
  
"Hi, Opa." She heard Aidan say.  
  
Sliding her glasses back on she studied her calendar. She had that date with Max tomorrow. She didn't have anything nice to wear she'd have to go out tomorrow during the day for something. "Mama, Opa wants to talk to you." Aidan held the phone to him.  
  
Liz talked for a few more minutes before hanging up the phone. "You wanna go change into your jammies?" Liz asked him realizing it was late and they needed to go.  
  
"It's not night-night time yet, Mama." He said looking out the window.  
  
"I know, we're going to Max's apartment, come on." She lifted him out of the seat.  
  
"Oma and Opa coming?" He asked curious.  
  
"For your birthday." She told him.  
  
"Fire trucks." He held up his fire truck pajamas.  
  
"Yes. Fire Trucks." Liz pulled them over his head. "Do you have to go potty?" He was newly trained.  
  
"No." He shook his head and stepped down from the bed.  
  
"What movie do you wanna watch?"  
  
"Robin Hood." He said instantly.  
  
"Come on." He was finished. She gathered a few things together and headed out the door.  
  
[b] One of those short yucky ones again. Next time it'll be more interesting I promise.  
  
[/b] 


	13. First Date

Title: Two Kinds of Wonderful  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, we'd still have a show to watch. Summary: Max is a single father and Liz is a single mother, both are in college. Rating: PG-13 Couple: M/L  
  
Requirements:  
  
- No POV's  
  
- No aliens  
  
- Any rating  
  
- Must end with Max and Liz together.  
  
"Hurry, Aidan." Liz pulled him up to Max's parent's house Saturday night.  
  
"I don't want you to go." Aidan was pouting.  
  
"I'll be back soon. You'll have fun with Mr. and Mrs. Evans." Liz stopped and knocked on the door.  
  
"No, Mama." He held onto her pant leg and looked up at her with tears in his eyes.  
  
"You'll have fun. Then you'll go night-night, and when you wake up, I'll be there again."  
  
"Why?" He asked desperately.  
  
"Because Mama wants to go out alone with Max, only big people."  
  
"Up!" He held his arms up.  
  
"Liz, come in. Max should be here any minute." She said.  
  
"How's Aidan?" She looked down at the boy whose face was buried in his mother's neck.  
  
"Fine." He mumbled.  
  
"What's wrong, Aidan?" Mrs. Evans asked concerned.  
  
"Nuffing." He huffed.  
  
"Come to Nana." She held out her hands.  
  
He studied her and decided he liked her. "Who's here, Diane?" Phillip asked stepping out of his office.  
  
"Aidan and Liz." Diane said. "Let's say hi to Papa."  
  
"Mrs. Evans are you sure you're OK watching Aidan, it feels funny leaving him with you, I know that you'll take great care of him, but I could always find someone else if you wanted to be alone with Lily." Liz said quickly.  
  
"Oh, no, dear. The more the merrier, right, Phillip?"  
  
"Yes, I could use another male in the house. Too many girls since Max moved out." He said smiling at Aidan.  
  
"I really appreciate this." Liz said again.  
  
"Liz, it's alright, really. Plus you made Max smile at the wedding. We were all worried about the wedding with Tess leaving and all. It was to be a solemn event for him, though we know he would put on a happy face for his sister, but you made him truly smile. It's been a while." Diane grabbed her hand.  
  
"I've only known him for a few weeks, Mrs. Evans."  
  
"Exactly, you could do that in a few weeks, what could you do with a lifetime?"  
  
Liz raised her brow and was about to reply when Max rushed in the door with a bummed out Lily in his hands.  
  
"No, bye-bye." She said furious at her father.  
  
"Hello, everybody, Liz."  
  
"Lily, are you being bad for, Daddy?"  
  
"No." She folded her arms and walked to her grandmother. "Up!"  
  
"She looks just like you did when you were upset, Max." Diane smiled and picked up her granddaughter.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You had the most defiant face."  
  
"Mom." He whined and went back to talk with his father quietly.  
  
He returned with a grin on his face. "Alright, we're heading out." He said taking Liz's hand in his.  
  
"Bye, Lilybird." He said and kissed her forehead.  
  
She turned angrily away from him. "Oh, and Mama, keep an eye on her breathing." Max reminded.  
  
"I will, Max. You forget Grace had asthma as well."  
  
Liz said a teary goodbye to Aidan who was still upset with her for leaving.  
  
"I feel bad leaving him."  
  
"Liz, he has to get used to you not being there all the time for him." He smiled.  
  
They went to a tiny little Italian place down the street. It was quiet, and no one knew it was there. It was a little hole in the wall, but it was very clean, and very good.  
  
"This is so nice." Liz said smiling.  
  
"I know. We used to eat here all the time when we were kids, no one really pays attention to this place." He smiled at her smile.  
  
"It's nice. Where are we going next?" She asked hoping to catch him off guard.  
  
"You'll see."  
  
"So besides ballroom dancing, what did you do as a child?" Liz asked while they were waiting for their food.  
  
Max blushed. "Nothing much, I didn't really do the whole little league thing like my dad wanted me to. I played a little basketball. My main hobby was bugging my sisters. No matter what I was doing it was always satisfying." He smiled.  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"Only small things, which I couldn't really get into deep trouble with. Leaving the toilet seat up, misplacing Barbie, hiding kitchen area toys."  
  
"You were a little devil." Liz grinned.  
  
"No, I had two sisters, any normal boy would do it to stay sane. How about you? Did Alex tease you much?"  
  
"Not really. He taught me a lot. We were really close. Unlike most big brothers, he let me hang around him most of the time. His friends adored me."  
  
"Who wouldn't?" Max threw at her unexpectedly.  
  
She blushed a furious red before continuing. "Alex was fiercely protective though. I thought it was great. Being around older boys. I mean, what fourteen year old girl wouldn't want to be adored by her brothers totally hot friends?" She smiled. There wasn't really any boy she was really interested in except John. She halted her thoughts there.  
  
Max noticed her smile falter a bit and decided to help out. "I used to bug Grace about her boyfriends. To Isabel, I was just her scrawny little brother. To Grace, I was big overprotective Max. No one dared go near her till I graduated and was safely tucked away at college."  
  
"Really?" Liz asked amazed.  
  
"No. Actually I was this scrawny, gangly, boy until I was about seventeen. It always frustrated me because my sister's were both gorgeous then there was me. Thier scrawny middle brother." He smiled.  
  
"Poor, Max." Liz reached across the table. "You filled out quite nicely. Your Mommy must be proud."  
  
"Yes, [b] Mama [/b] is proud." He smiled. "How about you?"  
  
"I was a late bloomer as well. Not really noticed by anyone, which is why Nancy convinced my father to send me to Vermont for high school. I was shy. Which is why when, over the summer, I basked in Alex's friend's attention. Boys were non-existent to me in Vermont." She shrugged.  
  
Their food arrived and they ate in silence.  
  
After they finished Max drove them back to his parent's house.  
  
"Max, what are we doing here?" She asked getting out.  
  
"Switching cars." He smiled.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"You'll see." His father met them outside with keys to the minivan.  
  
"I want the car home by midnight, young man." His father joked.  
  
"Yes, sir." Max nods. He settles Liz in the front seat of the van.  
  
"Where are we going?" She asks again.  
  
"Riverside."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"You'll see." He nodded.  
  
Frustrated Liz sat quietly.  
  
"Max, are we late?" She asked.  
  
"No, why?"  
  
"You're speeding." She looked at the speedometer.  
  
"I'm going seventy, Liz, the speed limit is sixty-five."  
  
"You're going fast." She said again.  
  
He switched lanes quickly and she closed her eyes taking a deep breath calming her nerves.  
  
"Liz." He reached over and stroked her hair, "If I drove the speed limit, these maniacs would run us off the road. That's how driving is in California." He smiled.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Where are you from again?"  
  
"Roswell, New Mexico." She shrugged.  
  
"And they drive the speed limit?" He asked in awe. No one here drove the speed limit.  
  
"Most of the time."  
  
They pulled into an old drive in theatre. "A drive in?" Her eyes widened. "I haven't been to one since I was three and my mother was still alive." She said absently looking around.  
  
"They're playing A Walk to Remember." He said smiling.  
  
"I love that movie." She smiled.  
  
"Good." He parked the van.  
  
He hopped out of the van and pulled open the trunk.  
  
He spread a blanket on the floor. "We used to do this when we were kids. My parents would sit up on the seats and me, Gracie, and Izzy would lay on the blankets. I would usually be squished somewhere in the middle because both wanted to be by 'their Maxie.'" He smiled.  
  
"This should be fun. I haven't been to a drive-in in forever. They're aren't very many left in Roswell or New Mexico."  
  
"There used to be one a few blocks from my house. You know the No Doubt cd, "Tragic Kingdom." That picture was taken there before they took it out."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yep, our one claim to fame besides Disneyland."  
  
"I have to take Aidan there sometime."  
  
"Wait till summers over, tourists get in the way otherwise." He shuddered.  
  
"I know tourists." Liz nodded knowingly. "That's what Roswell thrives on."  
  
"That's true. Seats or floor?" He said after flipping the seat around to face out the back.  
  
"Floor." Liz said.  
  
"Climb in then." He helped her up and they settled down to watch the movie. 


	14. Conversations

Title: Two Kinds of Wonderful  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, we'd still have a show to watch. Summary: Max is a single father and Liz is a single mother, both are in college. Rating: PG-13 Couple: M/L  
  
Requirements:  
  
- No POV's  
  
- No aliens  
  
- Any rating  
  
- Must end with Max and Liz together.  
  
"Liz!" Lily shouted during opening prayer at the church service.  
  
"Lilybird." Max scolded telling her to be quiet. Usually she was good during service which is why he didn't put her in the daycare. Now, maybe he would have to start considering it, she could talk.  
  
"Dada." She glared back at him continued to stare at the back of the church.  
  
Max felt someone shift into the pew next to him. He looked down to a smiling Liz. He smiled back and quickly bowed his head in prayer at his mother's glare. Even at 21, she could still put him in his place.  
  
After the prayer Lily shifted and twisted until she made her way into Liz's lap.  
  
"Hi." She declared loudly.  
  
Some old women turned around and smiled. She was the church's darling. She could do whatever she pleased and it would be cute.  
  
"Lilian." Max looked at her.  
  
She looked at her father before settling down in Liz's lap for the rest of the service.  
  
****  
  
Everyone went out to eat after church.  
  
"Mama, I tired." Aidan protested on the way back to the car after lunch. He stopped in his tracks.  
  
"We're almost to the car, sweet pea." She nudged him.  
  
"Uppies." He held his hands up to her.  
  
Sighing, she picked up her whining son.  
  
Sitting him in the car she climbed into the front seat of her car.  
  
"Did you have fun last night with Nana?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah." He said through a yawn.  
  
She kept talking to him, knowing that it would slowly lull him to sleep. She didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that her son fell asleep when she talked to him.  
  
Liz laid him on the bed and went to sit at her piano. It was at one time Jonathan's. He had played the piano better than anyone. The Parkers had given it to her to teach Aidan when he was old enough to start. She was to continue studying until then.  
  
She stroked her fingers lovingly over the keys. It was an upright piano but she preferred it to they baby grand they were going to purchase.  
  
She began to play a soft Mozart Lullaby that Aidan had fallen asleep to when he was still only a few months old. It was one John had taught her. One she had imprinted in her memory forever.  
  
She was so engrossed into her playing she didn't hear the door click open.  
  
She jumped and let out a squeal when she saw Max holding a sound asleep Lily in his arms sitting next to her.  
  
"Max, what are you doing here? I didn't even know I left the door open." She said quickly making her way back to the door and locking it.  
  
"I know. Key under the planter."  
  
"Oh." She smiled. "How are you doing?"  
  
"Good. Lily wouldn't stop saying your name so I thought I'd bring her over here to see you. But only for a little while, I have a paper to write."  
  
"Well it looks like she's fallen asleep." Liz said observing her. "Come, Aidan's asleep on the bed."  
  
Max followed Liz into the back of the condo. "Lay her next to him right here." Liz pointed "She won't roll off right?"  
  
"Nope, she won't." Max said confidently.  
  
"Ok."  
  
"How long have you played the piano?" Max asked as they walked back out to the front room.  
  
"Since I was four." She sat on the couch and curled her legs under her. "Aidan's grandparents gave me the piano when we moved out here so that I can find a teacher for Aidan to learn how to play when he's old enough."  
  
"Are you going to teach him?"  
  
"I could, but I think he would but I think he would be more serious about it if it didn't come from me. I'll start him and if he has a real interest, then I'll find a teacher."  
  
"You're serious about it?"  
  
"Yes." Liz nodded. "In a way it helped me when I was younger, it gave me self-esteem, not very many kids could play and I could. Alex plays a little bit, and Jonathan, he played very well." Her eyes dropped.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Aidan's father." She said quietly.  
  
"Oh." Max said let her be in her silence. "I Have to pick Alex and Isabel up from the airport tomorrow night I was wondering if Aidan would like to come along, see the planes?"  
  
"No, I don't think that he would like to see them." Liz shook her furiously standing up.  
  
"Alright, Liz sit back down, I won't take him. Sit down." He pulled her down into his lap. "You ok?" He asked pulling her body against his in a comforting gesture.  
  
"Yes." She answered.  
  
"Liz, do we need to talk?" He asked.  
  
"No, not yet." She shook her head.  
  
"All right." He said comfortingly. They sat in comfortable silence until they heard giggling from one of the back rooms.  
  
"Lily's awake." He smiled and carefully nudged Liz off his lap.  
  
"That means Aidan must be awake as well."  
  
"Hello, Lilybird." He said picking her up.  
  
"Liz!" She said happily and leaned towards her.  
  
"Aren't you going to say hi to Daddy?" Max asked with a pout on his face.  
  
She pecked him on the cheek and reached for Liz once more.  
  
They played and had a snack before Max and Lily left so Max could finish his paper.  
  
TBC  
  
A/N: I'm having serious trouble with this one. Different Kind of Life is coming easily at the moment but it'll slow and I'll switch back to this one. I won't forget about it though. I work on it for a little bit. Eventually I'll get some big idea in my head, and it'll just all flow out. 


	15. Aidan's Party

A/N: I was just reading the wonderful Harry Potter, and discovered that his mother's name was Lily Evans before she was married. I was wondering why that name sounded familiar and then it dawned on me that was have a little Lily Evans of our own! Just thought that was interesting. Also, it was not on purpose.  
  
It took me longer to write this chapter. Sorry everyone. We have to turn 3 essays in periodically throughout the summer over the internet on this "great and wonderful" site that sorts the essays and checks for plagiarism etc. So that's what I've been doing this week. Plus my niece and her brother have been here and I've been in Palmdale, so we've been busy. HEHE. I'll try to keep writing more frequently. Right now my niece is sleeping on the couch and she keeps grinding her teeth so I'm going to post this and leave. For those of you who don't know the sound, I hope you never have to. See ya later!  
  
[b] Chapter 15 [/b]  
  
Watching Liz nap peacefully in his arms, Max wasn't really sure on how much progress he had actually made between them. Sure, they had all grown closer over the month that they had been together, but Liz was still holding back and entire section of her life. They were on a don't ask don't tell routine. Max was curious and even willing to share his own story with her but Liz never seamed interested enough or sure enough with herself to ask those questions.  
  
Max wondered whether he was moving too fast for them. He felt something different for Liz. Something he had never felt with Tess. He wondered briefly if it was love. He was the kind of guy that believed in that sort of thing. He wanted Liz to be his, completely, without walls or secrets.  
  
Lily and Aidan were off somewhere with Isabel and Alex, they had promised to have them back before Aidan's grandparents arrived for his party tomorrow. Max was rather nervous about meeting his paternal grandparents but he really knew there really shouldn't be any reason to be nervous. Liz had assured him multiple times that they were perfectly good people.  
  
Max carefully shifted Liz to the couch when the doorbell rang.   
  
"Hi, Dada!" Lily squealed bouncing into his arms.   
  
"Shh, Liz is sleeping." Max told her. She put a tiny finger to her mouth and mimicked the movement.  
  
He smiled. "Thank you."  
  
"We had a good time, Max." Isabel said stepping into the door.  
  
"Thank you for taking them, where did you take them by the way?" Max asked, ushering them inside.  
  
"Oh, no, Max, we can't come in, we're going to Mom and Dad's, we went to the Orange County Fair." She smiled.  
  
Lily and Aidan held up their bag of prizes.   
  
"Orange County Fair?" Max asked. He wasn't even aware that it was open yet. Max took Lily in his arms she smelled strongly of sunscreen.   
  
"Yes, Max. Well, we've really got to be going, it's almost five o'clock. Oh yeah, Mom wants you there too." She said and pulled him into a hug. "You two have great children, Max, you're doing a wonderful job."   
  
Max blushed. "Thanks."  
  
"Tell Liz, I say the same thing to her." Isabel warned before returning to the car where Alex was sitting in the car.  
  
"I will, Izzy, see you later, and thanks again." He said before shutting the door.  
  
"What do you two want to do?"  
  
"Where's Mommy?" Aidan asked.  
  
"Mommy's sleeping." He said quickly.  
  
"Can we wake her up?" Aidan asked.  
  
"I'm already up." Liz said from the doorway. "You shouldn't have let me sleep that long." Liz said glancing at her watch.  
  
"You were tired, from planning, and Aidan was gone, so I let you sleep."  
  
"I have to go to pick some stuff up from the store before the Parkers come." She said before greeting Aidan. "Hello, Sweet. Where did you get all those prizes from?"  
  
"We went to the fair." Aidan told her excitedly.  
  
"The fair? Did you have fun?" Liz said bending down.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Max, I've got to go." Liz said.  
  
"Yeah, I guess we're supposed to be at my parent's house. Isabel informed me when she dropped them off." Max started towards the door. "And I have to work tonight."  
  
"But it's so late?" Liz asked.  
  
"I know, I got night shift." He shrugged.  
  
"Oh. I'll see you tomorrow morning then, for Aidan's party?"  
  
"Yes, certainly." Max kissed her goodbye softly.  
  
He studied her face with a once over. His eyes landed on her rings that hung around her neck. It hurt to see that but she kept them tucked away quietly under her shirts. Shifting Lily he moved silently out of the house and down the walk to his car.  
  
**** Aidan's grandparents arrived early from their hotel on his birthday.  
  
"Oma, Opa!" He met them at the door.  
  
"Aidan, your mother told you not to open the door." Max came up behind them.  
  
"Max, it's Oma and Opa. Where's Lewis?" Aidan asked excitedly once he was in his grandfather's arms.  
  
"Right here." He brought out the little Scottie.  
  
"Look, Max." He said and bent down to pet the dog.  
  
"Come here, Lily, this is Lewis." Aidan called to her.  
  
She attached herself to Max's leg and sucked her thumb.  
  
"Hi, I'm Max." He held his hand out to the older couple that weren't much older than his parents. "This is my daughter, Lilian. Liz was hoping to be back by the time that you arrived, she had to run to the store." Max stood aside from the doorway. "Aidan, move out of the way so they can come in."  
  
"Yes, Max." He took the leash and headed to the front room to play.  
  
"So, Max, was it? Tell me about yourself." Mrs. Parker said sitting in a chair her husband next to her.  
  
Max studied the older couple. He could see where Aidan got his reddish hair. The pale brown eyes came from this side of the family. "I'm Max Evans."  
  
"He is Mommy's boyfriend." Aidan said helpfully.  
  
Mr. Parker raised his brows at Max and leaned forward letting his elbows rest on his knees. "Is that so?"  
  
Straightening, Max met his eyes and answered. "Yes."  
  
"You do realize, Liz is the daughter we never had?" Mr. Parker asked.  
  
"No, I was not aware of that, sir. Liz doesn't talk about anything from then. She keeps that part locked up inside. Although, I've only known her all of a month."  
  
"Liz!" Lily shouted.  
  
"Mommy!"  
  
"Aidan, do not open the door." Max said sternly.  
  
Aidan bounced by the door until Max checked the window and gave the ok.  
  
"Hi, Mommy! Oma and Opa came." Aidan said.  
  
Max took the groceries from Liz after pecking her on the cheek. She smiled at him then went to greet Aidan's grandparents.  
  
Lily demanded up.  
  
Liz held her in her arms. Lily relaxed against her and smiled at the Parkers.  
  
"Hello." Liz greeted.  
  
****  
  
At the party Lily attached herself to Liz's side acting as little hostess.  
  
Mr. and Mrs. Parker watched as Max and Liz interacted. Max would make his way over to Liz, give her a little peck and be off on his own way. Aidan would look up once in a while to make sure his mother was in view and returned to playing with his friends.  
  
"Jeff and Nancy didn't come." Mrs. Parker commented.  
  
"I noticed." Mr. Parker replied.  
  
"Nancy never liked Liz, and Aidan is Liz's son." She said and paused when Aidan came over to retrieve a ball that had rolled under Mr. Parker's chair.  
  
"Thank you, Opa." He smiled.  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
"That doesn't give an excuse for Jeff. This is his own daughter." She shook her head. "I never like Nancy. I always thought his first wife, Liz's mother, was so much nicer. Jeff changed a lot in the eighteen years he's been married to her."  
  
Liz paused and stiffened as Lily found her necklace. Mrs. Parker watched curiously as Liz tried to take them away. "She still has the wedding rings." She murmured this to herself since her husband was anything but interested.  
  
"No, Lily, those are Liz's." She said quietly.  
  
"Mine?"  
  
"No, Liz's." Liz said and tucked them carefully back in her shirt.  
  
"Ok." She said and relinquished interest to Aidan Parker. "Down."  
  
"I thought you were my helper?" Liz asked setting her on the ground.  
  
"Back." She said letting her know that she would be right back.  
  
"Alright." Liz said.  
  
"Up." She said holding onto her father's pants.  
  
Max lifted her up. "Having fun?"  
  
She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. "Night-night." She said.  
  
"You ready to go night-night?" He asked.  
  
"Yes." She said quietly.  
  
He went in to lay her on the bed and found Liz. He laid her on the bed and walked back out.  
  
Liz sat staring out the window. Aidan looked so much like his father at the moment Liz wanted to cry. His hair fell the same way; she was going to have to cut it soon. She had always had to remind John to cut his hair. His smile was every bit Jonathan.  
  
"Hey." Max said quietly coming up behind her.  
  
"Max!" She started. "You startled me. I came to find Lily and I saw you putting her down for a nap." She turned back to the window.  
  
"Sorry, Lily was tired and I brought her inside." He pressed a kiss to her head.  
  
He realized a stiffness in her that hadn't been there earlier. "You ok?" He asked concerned.  
  
"Yeah." She nodded and moved out of his embrace.  
  
"Look at my brother." She said pointing out the window.  
  
Max looked out and Alex was rolling around the boys totally into whatever game they were playing.  
  
"Yeah. Marriage suits him." Max commented.  
  
"I think it does very well." Liz agreed.  
  
Max glanced down and studied her face, knowing something was wrong. It was then he noticed her necklace was out. The two rings dangled from her gold chain. For once they were out.  
  
For the first time understanding dawned on him. His eyes drifted down to her chest where her necklace lay, he followed her eyes to Aidan and he finally registered the far away look on her face.  
  
Max slipped away without Liz noticing his absence. Marriage had obviously suited Liz very well.  
  
[b]TBC  
  
Short chapter I'm sorry guys! [/b] 


	16. Rings

I know this is a short part but I wanted to post something before I left on two weeks vacation. First week I'm taking a trip through the Southwest, which happens to run through Roswell, no idea how that happened, and second I'm going sailing around Catalina so it will be two weeks before I post. I was planning on it being longer but then I realized that I have an essay due Tuesday so I had to do that in a last minute rush. Sorry! This is what I have.  
Lissa  
  
Chapter 16  
  
Max let the conversation that he had wanted so desperately to have with Liz slide. Their relationship progressed as far as it could without stories being shared.  
  
Max and Liz were out late one night following one of Liz's concerts.  
  
"You play very well, Liz." Max said pulling her close as they exited the music hall. Lilian and Aidan were with Max's parents. "And your glasses look adorable on you, I didn't know you wore them."  
  
"Thank you." She nodded and moved her head to his kiss. "And, I don't like to, they're for playing and reading only." She slipped them off and tucked them in her bag.  
  
"Let's go for a walk." Max suggested.  
  
"What about the kids."  
  
"They'll be fine. Plus, you don't have to be in class tomorrow till noon, let's go." He asked.  
  
"Alright." She finally agreed. "Where do you want to go?"  
  
"The park?" He said quickly. "It's up the street, on the way to my parent's house."  
  
"That's fine." Liz agreed with a reluctant smile.  
  
He wanted to say something and he was holding back. "Say whatever it is you wanted to say, Max." She prodded.  
  
Max smiled and glanced down to her low cut dress. Her rings were dangling menacingly for the world to see. He didn't want them there anymore. He respected her wish to keep Aidan's father's memory alive, but why so openly. He didn't want another man's rings on her.  
  
"Why do you still wear his rings, Liz?" Her eyes widened and her hand flew to her throat.  
  
She turned angry eyes at him. "Why does it matter?"  
  
He looked at her with astonishment in his own eyes. "Why does it matter? It matters because every time I look at you, I see them."  
  
"Why does it matter if you can see them?" She really didn't get why they bothered him so much.  
  
"Because, they're a symbol of what once was, of you being somebody else's. Of him loving you before I had a chance to. He still has his hold on you."  
  
"His name is Jonathan, Max. We created a son together, Max. I'm not asking you to let go of Lily's mother am I Max?" She was confused. Everything had been going so wonderfully and now he had to open a tender spot.  
  
"Tess if you insist on using names, and I also share a child. I'm not letting that get in the way of us progressing."  
  
"I'm not letting anything get in our way."  
  
"Liz, your rings, I'm not asking you to get rid of them or not wear them, just not when we're together, it hurts." He told her truthfully. Searching her eyes, pleading for her to understand. "I feel like I'm losing you, Liz. The closer we get to the end of the year, the farther you seem to drift."  
  
Liz pulled her light shawl around her shoulders as the cool November air floated around her. The night was warm, not as chilly as most November nights but still far too chilly to be in an argument with someone you cared deeply for.  
  
"I can't, Max."  
  
"Can't or won't, you don't even have to do it right away. Just try work on it, and when you're ready."  
  
"I can't. I loved him, I still love him."  
  
Resigned to the fact he wasn't going to get any farther with her, Max turned back to the car without touching her. "Let's go pick up Lily and Aidan."  
  
Liz didn't say anything but followed him silently to his car. It was the first time Max hadn't held her hand since they had gotten serious.  
  
Lily and Aidan were looking out the front window for their parents. Liz smiled when she saw their faces in the light. It was almost 10:30 she was shocked Diane had let them stay up.  
  
"Hi, Mommy." Aidan met her at the door.  
  
"Aidan, what are you doing awake?" Liz asked not looking at Max or Lily.  
  
"Liz, how was the concert?" Diane asked avoiding the question.  
  
"Great, why is he awake?" Liz stood up holding the happy three year old.  
  
"Phillip snuck them some candy before he left for the airport." Diane said.  
  
"Oh." Was all Liz said. Lily was quiet in Max's arms. She knew something was wrong and hadn't greeted her.  
  
Lily looked at Liz and smiled finally. "Hi, Liz." At twenty months she had a good vocabulary, when she chose to use it.  
  
"Hi, Lily. Did you and Aidan have fun?"  
  
"Yes." She nodded then yawned. She caught Aidan's at the same time and silently jumped for joy. There wouldn't be a fight about bedtime tonight.  
  
"Daddy, I tired." Lily laid her head on his shoulder ready to go.  
  
"Alright, we have to get Liz and Aidan home too." He said. "Say goodbye to Nana."  
  
"Night night, Nana." She waved.  
  
"Good girl. Goodnight, Mom." Max hugged his mother around Lily.  
  
"Good night, you guys."  
  
"Thank you, Mrs. Evans."  
  
"You're most welcome, dear." Diane beamed. She already loved Liz like a third daughter and Aidan as her grandchild. She sensed there was tension between Max and Liz and she didn't like it. She kissed both of the children goodbye once more before letting Max take them home.  
  
Max walked Liz to her door after a silent car ride back to her home. He stood at the doorstep staring at her, Aidan asleep in her arms.  
  
"I'm sorry, Max." She said quietly.  
  
"You can't try to move forward? I'm not asking anything huge, just a small step?"  
  
"I've already taken a huge step for me, Max. We really loved each other. He's part of who I am. If you can't accept that, then we can't be together." She said firmly, yet not looking at him.  
  
Those final words cut through Max like a knife.  
  
We really loved each other.  
  
Did it not matter that he loved her, or did she not love him back.  
  
"That's too bad, Liz. I really love you. Now." He said before turning and walking back to his car where a sleeping Lily awaited him.  
  
Liz stood there speechless on her front doorstep, unshed tears in her eyes. She had no idea how bad she had just messed everything up, and at once she did. Silently she shut the door to the outside world and Max.  
  
TBC 


	17. Christmas

Liz sat with Aidan sleeping contentedly in her arms. It was a chilly Christmas Eve and she was now sitting in midnight service. She hadn't expected Aidan to stay awake through the first few minutes.  
  
Max had shuffled in quietly a few minutes following her with Lily smiling brightly. She too was now sleeping. She sat a few pews ahead of him and she could feel his stare causing the hairs on her neck to stand up.  
  
He had given her a slight smile that had weakened her knees. He let Lily walk over and greet her and Aidan than quietly called her back. That was the most contact she had with them over the five weeks since they had seen each other.  
  
Always a polite hello at church if necessary and a small chat with Lily at daycare.  
  
The five weeks had given Liz time to think, too much time she thought. "You wanna hold the candle, Aidan?" She asked as his eyes opened sleepily.  
  
He yawned and nodded. He sat up and stared back at Max. He gave him a shy smile before turning back and taking the candle firmly in his chubby hands.  
  
"Help." He said looking at the candle a little uncertainly.  
  
She obliged and her small hand curled around his smaller one as they sang "Silent Night" together.  
  
After the song Aidan blew out the candle and turned to Liz. "Love you, Mommy." He told her and wrapped his arms around her neck.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Aidan, I love you too." She picked him up as he settled against her.  
  
He held her tight sensing she was distressed. She had acted differently in the past weeks and he knew something was wrong. Unable to put his tiny finger on it, he was content to hold her.  
  
"Daddy." Lily said turning to look at Liz. Holding her hands out she gave Liz a pleading look.  
  
Aidan obligingly climbed down from his mother's warm embrace in the cold parking lot but stayed dutifully by her side.  
  
Glancing at Max, Liz held the small girl in her arms and nuzzled her neck. "Miss you." She said quietly.  
  
She played with Liz's smooth hair and buried her face in her neck. Her cold nose startled Liz. "I've missed you too, Sweet." Liz said just as quietly. "Merry Christmas."  
  
"Christmas!" Lily said back. "Daddy, Christmas!" She said cheerfully.  
  
She slid down from Liz's arms and hugged Aidan. "Christmas!"  
  
"Merry Christmas, Liz." Max ventured.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Max." She answered. It felt wonderful to hear her voice again.  
  
"You certainly have energy tonight, don't you sweetheart?" Liz asked picking up Lily again. "I thought you were gone during the service."  
  
"No tired!" Lily announced almost angrily.  
  
"Ok. Come, Lilybird." Max took her gently.  
  
"No!" She let out a loud shriek and buried her head in Liz's shoulder.  
  
"Lily." He said more sternly.  
  
She glared at him and held on tight. "I'll see you tomorrow, Lily. At Nana's home." Liz said gently pushing her hair back.  
  
Max gave her an odd look.  
  
"Your mother invited us for Christmas dinner, my father and his wife will be there as well." Liz explained. "Go to Daddy, Lily." She said.  
  
She pressed her face into the girls hair and closed her eyes. It felt right holding her tightly in her arms again.  
  
"Bye bye, Liz." She said. "Christmas. Bye, Aidan." She said resigned.  
  
"Bye, Lily." Aidan said just as sadly and climbed down from Max's arms. "Bye Max. Merry Christmas." He slipped his hand into his mother's.  
  
"Bye." Both Max and Liz said to each other at the same time and walked away.  
  
****  
  
"Hi, Nana." Aidan said walking in into the house in his new Christmas outfit.  
  
"Well, don't you look the fine boy?" Diane asked Aidan. "I'm so glad you and your mommy came." She took him in her arms.  
  
"Good afternoon, Liz." Diane smiled.  
  
"Thank you for inviting us, Mrs. Evans." Liz said a sad smile.  
  
Diane grimaced when a shriek was heard throughout the house. "Is that Lily?" Liz asked.  
  
"Yep." Diane said. "Max had a conference with her daycare instructor earlier this week. If she doesn't get her way she screams for two hours. And it's not a cry, it's a scream."  
  
"Lily?" Liz asked shocked. "When did this start?"  
  
"Few weeks ago." Diane shook her head.  
  
Max walked out dazed from the room the screaming came from. "Your turn, Mom." He said.  
  
"Hello, Liz." He looked up. "Sorry about the noise."  
  
"Max!" Aidan said happily.  
  
"Aidan." Max bent down and hugged him. "Where did you get such a fine suit?"  
  
"Oma and Opa." Aidan said. "Where's Lily?"  
  
"I'll be right back." Liz said pointing to the room Max just exited. "May I?"  
  
"Be my guest." Max said taking Aidan into the other room to join the other guests.  
  
"Lily what 's wrong?" Liz asked softly.  
  
She took a breathe for a second and looked at Liz. Her face scrunched up as she was preparing for another one.  
  
"Don't cry, Lily." Liz said. "There is no reason for screaming."  
  
Lily sniffled and shut her mouth. "Daddy did it."  
  
"What did Daddy do?" Liz asked gently and settled her on her lap.  
  
"No nap!" She said determinedly.  
  
"No nap?" Liz sighed. "Well, if your daddy says you need a nap, you need a nap." Why she was bothering to reason with a child just shy of two years she had no idea. She didn't understand half the words spoken anyway.  
  
"No nap!" Lily said louder and crawled from her lap.  
  
"Lily." Instantly she was quiet. "Come here." Liz sat on the bed.  
  
Lily wiped tears from her eyes and crawled into Liz's lap. "Missed you." She mumbled past her thumb.  
  
"Lily, I've missed you too sweetheart." This is why she had been hesitant about getting involved with anyone. Not only were they hurt both the kids were hurting. Aidan was sporting an attitude of his own.  
  
In fact he seemed almost anxious to see Lily at daycare.  
  
Lily settled into her arms easily. Her hands went through her hair, feeling the softness, and fell promptly to sleep. She held the small girl in her arms for a short while longer before laying her down.  
  
****  
  
Everyone eyed her as she entered the front room. Aidan was playing go fish with Alex and Max on the floor.  
  
"Amazing." Gracie stood as gracefully as her name suggested.  
  
"Thank you." Max said almost shyly.  
  
"Come on, time to eat everybody." Diane Evans interrupted.  
  
"Good, I'm starved, Mom." Alex stood.  
  
"So am I." Isabel stated. All eyes swung towards her. Rarely did she admit she was hungry. She blushed under the questioning stares. "I am eating for two you know."  
  
The room went completely silent. Alex beamed, Isabel inched closer to his side.  
  
"Congratulations, honey!" Diane held her daughter. "Grandchild number three and counting."  
  
****  
  
"Liz can I talk to you?" He stood and nudged Aidan off his lap. It was late evening now, closing in on nine.  
  
Before she could nod he had taken her arm and rounded her around the house.  
  
"Max." She shook her head as she sat.  
  
"I need to talk to you, Liz." He pressed.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because. We need to." He shoved his hands in his pockets.  
  
"Liz, I love you."  
  
Liz stopped moving. Everything she was going to say was halted in her mouth.  
  
"Pardon?" She said.  
  
"I love you, Liz." He said again. "I don't like being separated, the children don't like it. They're hurting as much as we are."  
  
Liz still couldn't speak.  
  
"My family misses you too. My mother also accepts Aidan as hers. If you noted she said three grandchildren when Isabel told us she was pregnant."  
  
Liz nodded, tears streamed down her face.  
  
She shivered in the night air. She could hear happy shouts from Aidan and Lily being chased by their Uncle Alex.  
  
"Can we give it another go?" He asked quietly.  
  
She stared at him. Her heart ached. She slowly shook her head no. She couldn't do it again. "I have to go." She stood.  
  
She ran inside the house before he could stop her. He didn't follow her. He turned and walked down the street.  
  
"Come on, Aidan, it's time to go home." She pulled him to her.  
  
"Please can we stay longer?"  
  
"No. Come on." She put his coat on.  
  
"Thank you for coming, Liz." Diane hugged her. "And you too, young man."  
  
"Thank you for inviting us." She smiled.  
  
Grace followed them out to the car after they said their goodbyes.  
  
"Look, Liz." She said when Aidan was tucked in and warm.  
  
"Grace." She turned to face the other girl. Despite Max and Isabel's height she was quite a bit shorter and was eye to eye with Liz.  
  
"I don't know what happened between the two of you. But Max really does care, and I know you do too." Grace stated. "You need to talk to him. Find out what happened before you give completely up on him. Please." She pleaded. "He's changed so much Liz. He doesn't brood half as much, more open with Lily. You've changed him, for the better."  
  
She paused pleading with the dark haired girl.  
  
Liz stared at the ground. Then at the dark figure making it's way back around the corner. Her eyes teared up. "Grace, I know you're trying to help. And I appreciate it. But you're right about one thing. You don't know what happened between us. Please, remember that." She slid into the driver's seat and drove away.  
  
[b] I know it's been forever and a day since I last posted and I'm soooooooo sorry, I'm trying my best to come up with ideas. It should come more smoothly now.[/b] 


	18. Late Night Conversations

[b]Chapter 18[/b]  
  
Liz stood in front of her mirror staring at her bare neck. The rings were gone. Tucked away safely in her jewelry box. Some day, when Aidan was older, she would give them to him when he was ready for marriage. Very far in the future she hoped.  
  
She remembered the lecture Mrs. Parker had given her over Max.  
  
[I] "Liz you and that boy get in a fight?" Mrs. Parker had asked.  
  
"Maybe." She said evasively.  
  
"Liz, don't lie, you did didn't you?" Mrs. Parker demanded.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What happened? He was such a nice boy."  
  
"I know, Anna." She Liz relinquished.  
  
"Tell me what happened." She demanded.  
  
"Oh, all right." Liz sighed reluctantly.  
  
She explained, in detail about everything.  
  
"Liz, you know." Once Liz completed her story Anna began. "I was watching Dr. Phil the other day."  
  
Liz groaned the woman had an obsession.  
  
"And a man was grieving his dead wife for nearly twelve years. He had even remarried and everything. But, he wouldn't let it go, ultimately it destroy his new marriage." She took a breather  
  
"Now, before you say anything against that, I know it's been no where near as long, but, Honey you could easy allow that to happen. You're grieving Aidan's dead father while there is another man waiting to step up to the plate. He will never replace my Jonathan but he can help raise Aidan to be the man he should be, as well as love you as you should be. I know this must sound weird, but I love you like my daughter Liz and I'm willing to give you any advice to keep you and my grandson happy. Liz, Dr. Phil said a normal grieving period is about a year. You still love him, and always will, but you have to move on."  
  
Liz didn't even know what tot say to that.  
  
"Well, now I've totally winded myself, I need to go. Give my love to Aidan from his Oma and Opa." [/I]  
  
She had spent many hours pondering that one single conversation and had decided to put it to use.  
  
She had put Aidan in bed but she could here him banging around to make her mad. It had been a battle of wills when she had suggested a bath. Her patience had been strained. Usually when she bathed him it was quick and simple, this time she had come out almost as wet as he. Then she had to wrestle him into bed.  
  
"Aidan, please stop banging to truck, I'm going to tell Opa that you don't like it." She cracked open the door. "And lie down please."  
  
"No." He stood up again. Liz sighed.  
  
"Are you getting sick?" She went and sat down next to him on the bed. He crawled away from her and crossed his arms. He crawled under the blanket and turned away from her. "Alright."  
  
She stood and went into the front room. It was a little more than a month since she had last spoken to Max. A little more than a month since she'd taken off her rings.  
  
It was raining outside. There was no chance for a lightening storm, there rarely were here, nothing like in Roswell.  
  
She sat down at the piano and began to play. The steady beat of the rain a metronome in her head.  
  
She heard Aidan finally quiet down and was comforted. She had had her first class two days before and she had a noon class tomorrow. Aidan pattered and climbed next to her on the bench seeming to have forgiven her to whatever action she had done wrong.  
  
Without missing a beat she scooted down on the bench to give him more room.  
  
He watched her fingers fly up and down the keys.  
  
"Why are you awake?" She asked.  
  
"I wanted to watch, and it's raining." He snuggled in. "I'm sorry."  
  
"It's alright, sweet." She kissed his head. He drifted off to sleep with her music as a lullaby.  
  
****  
  
Liz laid Aidan down on his bed and moved the truck out of the way.  
  
She straightened and went back out to tackle the lab report she had left to do. She was tempted to start to play again to relax her nerves but decided to stick to her work instead.  
  
She straightened at the knock on the door. Who would come now? It was almost ten o'clock. Quietly she moved to the door and peeked out the peek hole. She couldn't get her hands to move fast enough to unlock it.  
  
"Max, come in." She whispered. She removed Lily from his arms before he could think.  
  
"I'm sorry, Liz. I couldn't stay away any longer." Max said. "We have to talk." He said staring at her.  
  
"I know, I-I was planning on calling you tomorrow." She answered. Lily shivered in her arms. She had a coat on that Liz carefully removed. "I can go lay her down if you like, Aidan's asleep." Liz said turning to his room. He as standing in the doorway wide eyed. "Or was." She huffed.  
  
"Come on, let's go to bed." Liz directed once again to Aidan. Max followed her into the room as the kids got situated in Aidan's bed which he gladly shared with Lily.  
  
"Night, you two." She whispered. She kept her eyes riveted on the children, knowing that when she turned her back to Max she'd have to face them. Slowly she backed out of the room and faced him. "Let's talk out here."  
  
Max followed her out to the kitchen. "Would you like some coffee or something? I just made a fresh pot, lab report due tomorrow." She smiled, trying to ease the tension.  
  
"No." He shook his head.  
  
She shrugged and took a seat. "Would you like to sit?"  
  
"No." He needed to stand he couldn't sit.  
  
"So what has you making the trek over here so late at night?" Liz started.  
  
"I needed to talk to you." He said again. "I could have waited till morning but I didn't want to." He rushed through.  
  
"Ok." Liz nodded. "I'll except that."  
  
"Liz, the last time I actually slept was two months ago." He walked to the counter and leaned against it. "I need you, Liz. I spent those nights thinking of what I had said that night, if I could take those things back, I would. I love you so much, Liz." He told her.  
  
Liz kept her eyes on the table.  
  
"I don't know what else you want me to say to you, Liz. I know you letting me in the house was a start but then again it could have just been because of Lily, but I highly doubt." he would have continued for days if Liz wouldn't have stood and walked to him. She rested her finger on his lips.  
  
"Hush, my turn." She shook her head when he tried to think. "I love you, Max." She said looking him directly in the eyes. "Max, I'm sorry for everything, I know how much I hurt you, and the babies. I know because I felt it too. It took Aidan's grandmother to mention a Dr. Phil episode for it to sink in. God, Max, I was so stupid." Her eyes started to tear up. "I took my rings off." She told him. Brought his hand up to rest above her heart where they rested previously.  
  
"You didn't have to do that, Liz." He shook his head.  
  
"Yes, I did. If you wouldn't have said something, I would have let it consume me, swallow me whole. For that I have to thank you, Max." She stood on tiptoe and lightly pressed her lips to his.  
  
He immediately pulled her closer and deepened it. She pulled away.  
  
"I love you so much, Max." She rested her head on his chest.  
  
"I know." He held her comforted. "We have so many things to talk about." He lead her to the couch.  
  
She nodded. He sat and she automatically curled into his lap.  
  
"You can go first." She said quietly.  
  
He had planned to in order to put her at ease.  
  
He took a deep breath and began.  
  
[b] I know this is a horrible place to stop, but I promise you guys it won't be that long before another part is posted. [/b] 


	19. Confessions part one

Chapter 19  
  
"I was nine when Tess and her family moved here from Tennessee." Max started. "Isabel and Gracie became best friends with her immediately. I was a bit wary of her, I was always shy as I had told you before."  
  
Liz nodded. She could imagine a younger Max being shy, he still was at this age.  
  
"She immediately became a hit, well my sisters always were, so being her involvement was imminent. Then Maria came along and showed a slight interest in me."  
  
"Maria?" Liz asked shocked.  
  
"Well, just enough to make Michael jealous. In the same process made Tess more aware of me. We were sort of expected to be together after that. It would only be too perfect. So my sisters bullied me into it, and we began to date. Eventually I got to know her better and grew to like her, even care about her a great deal. We lasted all the way though high school and half way though college. Then she got pregnant."  
  
He tensed and Liz didn't know whether to move away from him or snuggle closer. It was more comfortable to snuggle and she did. Max's arms came tighter around her and she assumed it was more comforting to him as well.  
  
He blew out a breath. "She became depressed during her pregnancy. The doctor said it was quite common among women, so we didn't worry. During the pregnancy I kept a constant eye on her. I never loved her, but I loved Lily already so much. I never knew what she was going to do whether herself. Not herself necessarily. I learned she'd never hurt herself, but the baby."  
  
He took a quick breather and dropped a kiss to the top of Liz's head. Thankful for her support and lack of interruptions.  
  
" We planned to get married everything was set, we even had a date. Then one night, Lily was crying in her crib. Tess's place was empty so I automatically assumed she had gone to retrieve her for once. She was nine months old and never had she ever done that. I waited, and the crying continued. I got up, and Tess wasn't there. Lily's crying ceased immediately when she saw me. Instantly I knew something was wrong."  
  
"Tess had never been close to Lily, just enough for an attachment to be formed. There were times when she had cried and it had been for Tess. She smiled whenever Tess picked her up but the connection was never really there. Lily was happy, but for Tess, for Tess it was an obligation."  
  
Max shifted Liz on his lap so she rested her head on his shoulder, she remained quiet knowing it was almost out. "She left that night. I heard the door shut, and I knew she was gone. Knew she wasn't coming back. Six months later, I met you, and the world changed for the better." He smiled. Relieved. No one but no one knew the true story. The whole truth. "Max." Liz didn't even know what to say.  
  
"Don't say anything. Why don't we just rest for now?"  
  
He looked at the clock, "it's almost midnight and you have class in the morning."  
  
"Not until noon." She let out a yawn.  
  
"So, the kids will be up early. You know that." He smiled, totally relaxed with her in his arms.  
  
"You're right." Her eyes drooped. "You can sleep in my room, I'll stay on the couch."  
  
She was asleep already. Content with her in his arms, he reclined against the couch and fell asleep as well.  
  
****  
  
"Quiet, Daddy's sleeping." Liz told Lily.  
  
Lily nodded. "Aidan?"  
  
"Aidan's sleeping too." Liz told her. Lily had woken up at five thirty, and not wanting to wake Max, Liz had gotten up with her. They were lying in Liz's bedroom watching Sesame Street.  
  
"Elmo!" Lily said excitedly.  
  
"Yes, Elmo." Liz smiled. Lily laid her head on her chest.  
  
"You ready to go get breakfast?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Let's change your diaper first."  
  
"No wet." Lily said proudly.  
  
"No wet?" Liz asked.  
  
"No wet!" She said again. Liz checked and sure enough the diaper was dry.  
  
"Go to the potty, Lily, fast." Liz took her.  
  
"Daddy, Daddy!" Lily ran out to her father who was just waking up.  
  
"I potty toilet!" She announced proudly. Max's eyes widened.  
  
"Good job!" He picked her up and kissed her. "You think you can do that all day too?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"We'll see." Liz said. "Do you have any big girl underwear?" She asked Max.  
  
"Yeah, princess ones. Let's see if you can make it the whole day Lilybird and then we'll go for ice cream." Max promised his eyes beaming.  
  
Lily clapped. "Yes!"  
  
"We'll have to go home and get out those big girl underwear that Nana got for you." Max smiled.  
  
Lily clapped her hands in approval. "Now?"  
  
Liz shook her head wanting them to stay longer.  
  
"No, we'll wait a little later." Max told her. "You can just wear your diaper till we get there."  
  
"Ok." She acknowledged. "Hungry."  
  
Liz nodded and headed towards the kitchen. "How about waffles?"  
  
Lily nodded unsure what waffles were.  
  
"Go wake Aidan up and I'll get started here." Liz told her. As she walked to the counter.  
  
"Aren't you supposed to finish a lab report?" Max asked, watching her move easily around the kitchen.  
  
"Yeah." Liz looked at the time; she still had a few hours. "I'll get it done."  
  
"I'll take the kids over to my place after we eat so that you can do that, if you would like." Max said tentatively. He stood in the doorway.  
  
"Aidan's supposed to be at daycare at nine. His class is going to the park." Liz looked out the window. "Though it's still raining I doubt they'll go. If you want to take them that's fine with me."  
  
"I'd love to. Lily's been lonely without him."  
  
"Aidan, too." Liz turned as he wrapped his arms around her and she rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
"What time did Lily have you up this morning?" Max asked. "Five thirty." She kissed his neck then turned around to finish making up the batter.  
  
"I'm sorry, you should have woken me." Max told her.  
  
"It's ok. We had some quality girl time watching Sesame Street." Liz smiled.  
  
"Mommy, Lily woke me up." Aidan whined.  
  
"Well, if you would have gone night night like you were supposed to last night, you wouldn't be tired." Liz looked at the table. "Now sit."  
  
He glared at her and climbed into his seat.  
  
"Waffles!" He smiled at his favorite breakfast.  
  
"Yeah, eat them fast, you are going with Max and Lily for the day." Liz smiled.''  
  
"Why not you?" He asked.  
  
"Because, I have class and homework I have to do." Liz said and set a plate of cut up waffles in front of Lily.  
  
"Ok." He accepted her answer and they ate in silence.  
  
Liz promised to go straight over to Max's apartment after her class and not delay.  
  
"Bye Mommy!" Aidan blew a kiss.  
  
"Bye Liz." Lily said through tears, angry that she couldn't stay with her.  
  
"We'll see you later, Liz." Max kissed her lightly on her cheek.  
  
"That you will." Liz smiled and kissed him back before shutting the door. 


	20. Explanations

Chapter 20  
  
Liz impatiently pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose and glanced at the clock. She would finish with plenty of time to spare to practice her accompaniment piece.  
  
Liz startled at the sound of the doorbell. She finished her sentence before getting up to answer it.  
  
"Daddy!" Liz said surprised. "What brings you here?"  
  
She stepped aside so he could enter. "Where's my grandson?"  
  
"With Max and Lily." Liz said studying his face to gage some sort of emotion on his face. He never just showed up at her house, usually he called first. "Is something wrong with Alex or Nancy?"  
  
"No, no." He shook his head and studied his little girl's kitchen. There were multiple pictures of Aidan. One more recent of Lily and Aidan at Isabel's wedding. "Liz."  
  
She stared at him, her arms crossed protectively over her chest.  
  
"I, we need to talk." He said bluntly, he didn't beat around the bush anymore than she did.  
  
Liz resisted letting out a sigh, not another one. She was still tired from last night and she didn't want to deal with anything more.  
  
"Daddy now isn't the best time." She said glancing at the time.  
  
"I know, but now is what I have."  
  
"Let me guess, Nancy doesn't know you're here." She said glaring at him.  
  
"No she doesn't." He shook his head and didn't look back up at her. That is where he screwed up. He didn't know how to fix this mess that he had rolled himself into.  
  
"Daddy I have class in two hours and I have to get ready and practice." Liz tried. This was a conversation she was also dying to have. But she couldn't do it right now. Her emotions were still too fragile still too close to the surface.  
  
"I understand." He said, dejected.  
  
"I don't think you do." She shook her head; it looks like she would be having this conversation now. "Sit."  
  
He sat listening to the authority she played behind her voice. He guessed it was Aidan's in-trouble voice.  
  
"Daddy, you all but forgot me when you married Nancy." She started slowly. "You sent me to boarding school when I was fourteen, that was when I needed to be at home the most. You let me get married at eighteen. Did you support Nancy's idea of me never going to college?"  
  
"No." His voice was husky. "Liz, baby."  
  
"When Jon died, I was devastated. You did not even come out for the funeral, Daddy. I was there alone. Except for Alex, Alex was always there." She smiled a bitter smile. "Do you know what it's like to be alone, pregnant, and recently widowed?"  
  
"No, I wouldn't."  
  
"I wanted to call you so many times, to ask you how you got through it. Losing Mama, and then, when I met Max, letting someone else in."  
  
"Liz, when I lost your mother, I was devastated. You were only three; you used to scream at night. Screaming like I'd never heard. It was pain. But not the kind when you fall and I could kiss it better. I couldn't do anything for you."  
  
****  
  
He was transported to eighteen years earlier.  
  
The screaming started again. Not again, not again.  
  
Jeff Whitman's heart ached for his three-year-old daughter.  
  
"Mama!" The scream came to his ears.  
  
He went to try to comfort her and it stopped for a few minutes. She cuddled up into his chest and he held his breath. She cuddled closer, paused and looked up at him, and screamed.  
  
He stood and walked and walked and walked. It seemed like forever until dawn came.  
  
Her voice was always hoarse during the day, she yelled herself that way.  
  
Later that night the screaming began.  
  
It pulled at his heart to hear the scream of such anguish. This time she kicked and screamed him away. He backed up and shut the door. There was nothing he could do for her.  
  
****  
  
"I'm sorry, Daddy." Liz said. She didn't even remember it. She put him through hell.  
  
"It's alright, Lizzie girl, you didn't know. How was a three-year-old supposed to know?" He scrubbed his hand over his face and chin. "I wish I would have stayed with you. I didn't know what to do."  
  
"You did your best, it must have been awful for you, not being able to help your child." She looked down at her hands.  
  
"I thought you blamed me, Liz. I really did. I walked away from the accident. She didn't. Your relationship with your mother was so great. You followed her everywhere. My first thought when they told me she was dead was, what about Liz?" He looked down and studied her polished wood table. "What am I going to tell her? You depended on her. She stayed at home with you, she took care of you, when she died, everything changed."  
  
"You had to go to daycare, you didn't have any pretty little hair styles, and you didn't have a role model. That's when I married Nancy. You and Alex fell for each other instantly. Liz, there's something I didn't tell you before."  
  
"Go ahead," she said hesitantly.  
  
"Your mother was pregnant, when she died. She wanted you to have a little brother or sister."  
  
Liz's heart lurched. She could have had a little brother or sister. "Oh, Daddy."  
  
"I was driving the car Liz, I was, not your mother, I should have died." He looked down.  
  
"No, Daddy." Liz said trying to sort her feelings.  
  
"I didn't mean to send you away. I grew up with your mother; Liz and you looked.look.just like her. Watching you grow up was bittersweet. I saw your mother in you in everything you did, I wanted to just see you and no one else. So I when Nancy suggested I send you away I thought it would be a good idea. I thought it would make you less like her."  
  
"Then, when you came home, you looked just like your mother, and my heart broke."  
  
"But, I'm not Mama." Liz shook her head. "I'm me. I'm your little girl that screamed and kicked you away. I'm the little girl that mourned the loss of her mother so violently, then, later, the loss of her father." She basically whispered the last part.  
  
"Lizzie girl, I didn't mean to hurt you, I didn't know what to do." He shook his head and looked at Liz. Really looked at her.  
  
She hadn't taken off her reading glasses, and her hair was swept back in a messy bun to stay out of her face. She looked so much like her mother but, she wasn't. For the first time he saw Liz, she was fully grown, a mother.  
  
"Do you see me, now, Daddy, me?" Liz asked. Hoping desperately that he did. She had always seen the pain in his eyes whenever she looked at him.  
  
"You know, Liz. I remember when you got your reading glasses. I couldn't determine whether you were upset about the glasses or that you could no longer read the piano music as you once had." He smiled at her. He slid the glasses from her face and pulled her towards him. "Yes, my Liz, I see you for who you are. You are your mother's daughter, you would have made her proud."  
  
For the first time in many years she hugged her father.  
  
****  
  
"What you doing?" Aidan asked Max.  
  
"You're supposed to be asleep." Max looked down at the boy who was staring at him in wonderment.  
  
"Not tired. What you doing?" He asked again.  
  
"I'm fixing Lily's crib so she doesn't fall out." Max explained.  
  
"Oh." He walked closer. "I help?"  
  
"Well, sure." Max said. "Come here." He held his hand to him. "Now this, is a screwdriver." He explained. "I have a bigger one but that's too loud and will wake up Lily. We don't want to wake up Lily do we?"  
  
Aidan shook his head quickly. "No, she's sleeping. With her blanket."  
  
"I know." Max smiled at the thought of his daughter. Sure, she was developing an attitude similar to that of his sister's what was wrong with that?  
  
"Why'd you go away?" Aidan asked all of a sudden.  
  
"I had to for a little while." Max said carefully, wondering what Liz had told him.  
  
"Mommy missed you." He said. "I did too."  
  
"I missed you too, Aidan." Max looked at the smaller boy. "Now let me show you how to use the screwdriver."  
  
"Mommy cried." Aidan persisted. "A lot."  
  
"I know, Aidan." Max tried not to feel the pain in his heart for making Liz cry.  
  
"On Christmas."  
  
"I'm sorry, Aidan, I'll try not to make her cry. It hurts me when she cries."  
  
"Me too." Aidan said finally reaching an agreement. "I don't like it."  
  
"I don't like it either." Max nodded his head.  
  
"Now, screwdriver."  
  
Max smiled at the resiliency of youth.  
  
"Yes, yes, give me your hand." Max took Aidan's much smaller hand gently in his own and directed him on how to fix Lily's crib. 


	21. Masterpieces

**Thank you guys for being so patient and waiting for this! I know it's been a long time but my comp has been acting up. We just got DSL today and so now I can post alot more, actually the next part is almost done! Won't be long, and summer is coming! Thanks again. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Lissa**

**Challenge 921**  
  
"Look, look!" Max followed Lily into where she had been playing a little too quietly for about fifteen minutes.  
  
"But, Max." Aidan whined. They had just gotten to the good part of building their city. They were on their way to destruction. "We gotta smash it now!"  
  
"Well, let me go see what Lilybird wants me to see." Max promised. "Then we'll crash it with the loudest noise you've ever heard."  
  
"Yeah!" His mother never let him smash his city with massive amounts of noise.  
  
"Look, look!" Lily pointed to the bedroom.  
  
Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to leave her alone for such large amounts of time.  
  
His answer was confirmed when he stepped into the room and saw red marker all over the wall. "Look, look." Max wished he hadn't  
  
"Lilybird." He sighed, he was planning on painting those walls anyway. Really.  
  
She proudly moved over to the door and pushed it shut to show him that she had even taken the time to decorate the back side.  
  
"Not me!" Aidan said happy that it wasn't him who was going to get the heat for this. He had learned a long time ago that one doesn't write on the walls, especially in crayon.  
  
"Let's go wash you off, Lilybird, and then we have to start cleaning this." He thought of Lily with a bucket of water and decided to wait till later to clean up the mess.  
  
"We gotta smash it, Max." Aidan pulled on his leg. "Please."  
  
"We'll do it once Lilybird goes down for a nap." He whispered the last word man to man. He winked at Aidan to make it understood that only babies and girls needed naps.  
  
"I don't need one." Aidan shook his head already looking forward to the time when he would be able to spend time alone with Max. "Boys don't need naps."  
  
Lily looked disturbed by the threat of a nap and folded her arms in defiance of the word. "No." She shook her head, curls flying prettily.  
  
"I'm afraid so, Lilybird."  
  
"Yeah, only boys can stay up."  
  
Her lip pouted and Aidan melted. "Alright, Lily, you can stay up too."  
  
"Aidan sleep too." Lily nodded.  
  
Aidan cringed but would do anything for Lily. "Ok."  
  
"We'll go wash her up and go potty, then we'll all go lie down for a little while." Max agreed. Two children under the age of five was really a difficult task.  
  
"Hello?" Liz pushed open the door, quiet noticing the complete silence in the house.  
  
"I'm in here, Liz." Max called.  
  
"What are you doing?" Liz asked quietly. The two children were passed out on the bed. Lily's head buried underneath her pink blanket and the newest edition to her sleeping collection, a plastic doll she had found at a garage sale and wouldn't let go of, that buried deep inside Max's back when she crawled into bed with him at night.  
  
"I think my baby girl's going to be an artist." Max pointed to the red marker on the wall. He was working on the second wall and hadn't even successfully removed the entire marker from the first.  
  
"Who left the marker down?" Liz questioned. She tried to hold back a grin but was didn't quite make it.  
  
"Daddy did." Max said sheepishly. "She was so proud of herself; you should have seen her face."  
  
"I'm sure she was." Liz said, slipping her hands into her pocket. "Aidan used to get a kick out of marking up the walls. You have time for a snack break and then I'll help you scrub."  
  
"Sure." Max stood and stretched. Despite the rain the past night, it was warm and sunny today and he was shirtless. Liz stared at his muscled chest as he stretched, unaware of her gaze.  
  
Then their eyes met. Sure she had seen him over the summer in the swimming pool and such, but his body never ceased to amaze her. Her gaze made its way up to his eyes who were staring right back at her. A rush of heat went through her body and she blushed heavily before turning and walking out of the bedroom.  
  
She went to the kitchen and divided the sandwiches she had picked up. "Where are the knives?" Liz asked.  
  
"Right here." She hadn't realized that he had followed her into the kitchen.  
  
He reached across the counter and picked up a magnet. "You have to do it like this." His breath was right next to her ear. "Lilybird figured out how to get her hand inside the drawers with just the clip." Easily, he clipped open the drawer with the magnet but didn't move. "I've missed you." He whispered against her ear.  
  
Heat flew through Liz's body as it pressed against his bare chest. "Me too." She nodded her agreement.  
  
"I love you, Liz." He whispered before turning her around and kissing her.  
  
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed closer.  
  
"I love you too." She whispered when she they broke for breath. "So much." She laid her head against his chest to catch her breath and calm her heart. "My dad came by today, right after you left."  
  
"What'd he say?" Max pulled back a little bit, not sure what she wanted him to do.  
  
"He wants to get to know Aidan better. I guess he's finally decided he's missed out on enough." Liz said she was aglow with happiness. "It has been the best day, besides the heat."  
  
"Yeah." He agreed and pulled her close to his body. "Are you ready to tell me about Jonathan?" He hadn't wanted to press, but he decided  
  
She took a deep breath and nodded. She had debated whether or not she was going to but knew now was the time.  
  
"Come, let's finish here." She slid into the kitchen table, not really interested in food but knowing the food would keep Max from asking too many questions.  
  
"When I was fourteen, as I told you before, I hung out with Alex's friends mostly during the summer, when I was home from Vermont. Most of his friends treated me like a little sister, but then there was John. He was the same age as Alex, as were most of his friends. He was taller, his red hair never really seemed groomed. His piercing brown eyes were something that couldn't be competed with." She started to explain.  
  
Max made a grunting sound, signaling for her to continue.  
  
"Nothing happened that first summer, but when I turned fifteen, and came back from school, I was angry, frustrated, and so very alone. All the other girls had somebody to be with. They had best friends, boyfriends, and all went to West Roswell High, including Alex. Time at home during the summer was torture. It was one of these days, I was sent to John's house around the corner to bring Alex home."  
  
"Liz, his mother gave me a huge smile as she had taken a special liking to me. She told me to go on back and get the boys. Alex and John had been friends since they were ten, so the Parkers knew me."  
  
She was starting to fidget and Max knew she was getting nervous.  
  
"I found them in a room, deep in conversation. I had never seen them in that room before, it had always been shut." She was taken back to the time when she had met the real Jonathan Parker.  
  
_[i] Nothing much was on her mind except the summer dance Nancy was insisting she attend. All the other girls there were going to have a date, but she would not because she had yet to find one. It was the girl's responsibility to ask. Because she didn't attend West Roswell, she had very little options.  
  
Alex, of course, had already been asked by the tall brunette across the street.  
  
"Alex, Nancy wants you home now." She had stepped inside the room loudly so as not to startle them.  
  
"Liz!" John had acted surprised to see her and his face turned a hue to match his hair.  
  
"Liz." Alex had said, his voice low, looking at her. "Come on." He tried to remove her from the room.  
  
"No, Alex, I think she should know." John took his arm and looked at him.  
  
Alex straightened, he was lanky but prepared to fight for his sister. "No, John."  
  
"Alex, I think it's time." John straightened himself. As the boys were the same height they came eye to eye, but John had more muscle on him.  
  
"You guys." Liz stood between them.  
  
"Alex, please excuse us, and shut the door."  
  
Liz's heart pounded. At fifteen and to be left alone in a room with a boy was a huge event, no doubt.  
  
Alex gave John an angry look before turning to walk out and shut the door behind him.  
  
Liz finally began to look around. Her breath stuck in her throat and she looked at him.  
  
Pictures of her from the age of nine filled the room. She had always known he had wanted to be a photographer, she didn't know she was so often his subject. There were many where she was aware of him taking pictures and she had smiled for his camera. But there were some that she didn't know he had taken.  
  
Her working in her embarrassing Crashdown uniform.  
  
Sitting at the desk studying in the study she and Alex shared.  
  
Her with the little boy she babysat walking home from the public pool.  
  
"John?" She asked.  
  
"You know, I've always had my camera with me." He blushed.  
  
"Yes." She nodded slowly.  
  
"Well, you've always been my most willing and interesting subject." He told her. "I like taking pictures of you. Especially when you don't know I'm taking them." He moved forward. "You have a stunning smile, but look here, where you're concentrating on Ancient cultures, your eyebrow is creasing. Look at the determination on your face." He got excited. "Then look here, with the Johnson kid, you're glowing. You do want children, don't you, Elizabeth?" He was the only one who called her by her full name and it never seemed to bother her.  
  
"Yes." She nodded still looking at him. "But why me?"  
  
"I'm in love with you." He said it casually.  
  
Her heart stopped. It was something all fifteen year olds had wanted to hear.  
  
"I love taking pictures of you, I love being around you, I love you."  
  
She looked up at him hoping to God that she had found someone. "Would you go to the summer dance with me? Nancy really wants me to go this year, and I don't know anyone else who would be willing to go. I can't go by myself, but if I don't get a date, Nancy will force me to."  
  
"Of course, I wanted you to ask me last year." He told her, gently lifting her face to look at him.. "Would you be my girlfriend?"  
  
She nodded vigorously. He hugged her and pressed a kiss to her cheek before showing her more pictures.  
  
Alex hadn't been very happy at first but had gotten used to the idea.  
  
Liz had been terrified going back to school in Vermont that summer knowing she would be separated from him for three months before Christmas.  
  
But they had held out and eventually had gotten married, Liz straight from high school as suggested by a so very helpful Nancy.  
  
_[/i]  
  
"I remember the day he died. I hadn't been so sure about him leaving." She fidgeted again. "I was eighteen weeks pregnant by that point, and my doctor didn't think it was wise for me to travel. He was gone to photograph light houses for a two weeks, I was staying with his parents because I was having difficulties with the pregnancy."  
  
Her eyes filled with tears now. "He wasn't supposed to come home that day. He wanted to be there for Valentine's Day and our six month anniversary. We weren't really planning on Aidan yet, but we were ecstatic just the same. I remember getting the call. I didn't believe it at first. Here I was, pregnant, and now a widow."  
  
She stopped and collected herself.  
  
"What happened to him?" Max asked softly.  
  
"He was being shuttled across the tarmac to board onto his final flight home. There wasn't efficient communication between plane and shuttle. Thirty-two people."  
  
Max went to her and held her. He understood her hatred for planes now.  
  
"Cry, Liz, love." Max said.  
  
"I've done enough of that, my tummy was just starting to round. John was getting so excited to take pictures of me pregnant. I've never seen anyone so excited." Liz said. "And now Aidan looks like him. Thank you for the time you gave me to get to this point, Max." Liz said. "Most men would have demanded that they know everything, right away."  
  
"But I did, Liz. Remember?"  
  
"Yeah, but you still gave me time." She told him. "Thank you for understanding, and waiting"  
  
"I love you, Liz, and I would wait forever."  
  
**[b] TBC[/b]**


	22. Visit to Oma and Opa's

**[b] Chapter 22 Seven months later Somewhere in the Arizona desert [/b]**  
  
Max drove straight in the scorching heat of the July sun. The heat didn't seem to bother Liz, but then again she had grown up in the desert.  
  
As they got further from California and closer to New Mexico the happier she got. Tucson, where they were to stay for the night was about thirty miles away. Max had been driving since sometime around noon. Liz had wanted an early start and as such she had driven. Aidan and Lily were tucked in the back seat amongst toys and other things to keep them quiet.  
  
To Lily, the terrible twos were exactly as they said. She had ceased her screaming about two hours prior, after Liz threatened to leave her with the snakes, her doll and blanket tucked under her arm. He wasn't even sure what she was screaming about in the first place. He didn't dare look at her since she had seemed to take some aversion to him today.  
  
He had no idea what he had done to offend his daughter, but he found that if he did anything too offensive she would ignore him for the next day or so. It had started with him washing off the marker from the wall.  
  
_"All gone?" She asked looking at the wall. "Where go?"  
  
"Bye bye, sweetheart." Max said looking down at his daughter.  
  
"Where go?" She asked again. Her face looking devastated at the wall. She had worked so hard. "Back!"  
  
"No, Lily, we don't write on the walls." Max shook his head, wishing Liz were here to help him.  
  
"Yes!" She had decreed. She had defiantly gone around the house looking for another crayon or writing utensil. "Back."  
  
Max rolled his eyes as she pouted up at him. Then her eyes filled with tears hoping to get her way.  
  
"No, Lilybird, no writing on the walls." He had successfully hidden away all of his writing utensils.  
  
"Fine." She had ignored him the rest of the evening.  
_  
From the quietness and steadiness of her breathing she sounded to be asleep as well.  
  
Aidan was awake as he could see through the mirror. "Are we almost there?"  
  
"We're almost to Tucson where we're going to stay in a motel, ok?" Max asked softly so he wouldn't wake the girls.  
  
"Ok." He yawned. "Lily's asleep."  
  
"Good." Max said relieved. His Lilybird was turning into one with an attitude, it reminded him a little of Tess, and that made him nervous. But he also noticed Liz's influence in his daughter as well. Lily spent a lot of time watching what Liz did and he hoped she would pick up on her sweet manner. Aidan also took it upon himself to act as big brother to her.  
  
Aidan was always there to smooth things over at the day care when things went wrong with Lily. Liz said she'd learn to get along with other kids soon enough.  
  
"Are you ok with me marrying your, Mommy?" Max took advantage of the opportunity.  
  
Aidan didn't answer right away and Max wondered if he had fallen asleep. "Aidan?"  
  
"You'll live with us, right?" He asked.  
  
"Yes, and Lily too."  
  
"Mommy's happy?" He wanted to know.  
  
"I hope so." Max answered as he looked down at Liz's engagement ring on her hand.  
  
Liz covered his hand with hers and smiled. Aidan didn't notice.  
  
"Yeah." He smiled. "I'll be Lily's brother?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
That brought a huge smile to his face. "I'm ok." He nodded.  
  
"Good."  
  
"We're almost to Tucson, Liz." Max told her. She shifted in her seat and was ready to be out of the car. She couldn't imagine how the children must have felt.  
  
As they pulled up to the motel, Liz got out. Lily immediately began to insist she be let out as well. Patiently, Liz untangled her toys from around her in the seat. "Out!"  
  
"Lily, patient." Liz insisted.  
  
She hushed and waited. As she was set down on the floor she immediately grabbed onto Liz's shorts so that she wouldn't get into trouble.  
  
"Doll, please." She held her hand out. Her doll didn't have a name it had just always been doll.  
  
"Here you go, and blanket." Liz wrapped the doll in the blanket.  
  
They checked in and found their room. After they had finished dinner, and everyone had bathed they settled into watch a movie since the kids were anything but tired. Lily and Doll were spread across Max's chest as she watched Robin Hood, suddenly at peace with him. Aidan was tucked between him and Liz. They had gotten their giggles out in the bath and at dinner so they were ready to settle down.  
  
Before the movie was over, the kids were sleeping, and Max and Liz were allotted a few moments of free time. They stepped outside where they could talk freely.  
  
"Thank you for doing this for me, Max. It would have been so much easier if we had flown."  
  
"You're not comfortable flying." He pointed out.  
  
"I know, thank you." Liz looked down at her hands. "Thank you for asking Aidan's opinion on us getting married."  
  
She wrapped her arms around him and swayed to music that was only in her head. She remembered his tender proposal on the fourth of July, three days prior. Fireworks in the background, the kids sleeping on the blanket, it had been perfect.  
  
"I love you." She tipped her head up to receive his kiss.  
  
"I love you too." He swayed her to the music some more.  
  
"Daddy!" Lily's worried cry came through. She had woken up in a strange place with just the Doll. "Daddy!"  
  
"Thank you for helping so much with Lilybird." He pulled them to a stop.  
  
"Yeah, once we're married, she's mine too." Liz said happily. "And Aidan yours."  
  
He grinned at that as well. "We'll be happy won't we? Once Lilybird gets through our little rough patch, she's almost three." He said.  
  
"Not for more than half a year, and three year olds are two year olds with attitude."  
  
"Daddy!"  
  
"But she already has an attitude." He whined.  
  
"Yeah well, she's calling you." Liz opened the door and pushed him through.  
  
"Hush, Lilybird, you'll wake Aidan."  
  
"Missed you." She declared.  
  
"I'm right here, just go night night."  
  
She snuggled into him, Doll digging into his chest and fell asleep. He heard Liz crawl into bed next to Aidan and pull him close. "Good night, Liz."  
  
"Goodnight, Max." She called back.  
  
"We're almost to Oma's house, aren't we?" Aidan asked as they pulled into the grocery store.  
  
"Yeah, we just have to pick up some things for Oma and Opa." Liz said as they got out. Max talked Lily into leaving Doll and blanket in the car and picked her up.  
  
"Come along, Aidan." She took his hand and they hurried into the store.  
  
"Liz Parker." An older woman came up to them. "What are you doing around these parts again?"  
  
"I've come to visit the Parkers for Aidan's fourth birthday." She said quietly.  
  
"I don't remember Anna saying anything about you visiting. Is this John's boy?" She looked down at the red head that was clinging to his mother's side.  
  
"Yes." Liz said.  
  
"He's turning four you say?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am."  
  
"Aren't you darling, Aidan was it?"  
  
"Yes, I'm Aidan." He spoke up. "Friday's my birthday." He said proudly.  
  
"Really?" The woman said impressed.  
  
"Liz!" Lily said grabbed onto her leg looking up in total admiration.  
  
"Who's this?" The woman asked.  
  
"My sister." Aidan said proudly with the news.  
  
"Your sister?" The woman asked looking at Liz.  
  
"I'm marrying her father, in November." Liz clarified.  
  
"You ready, Liz?" Max asked and gently pried her from her leg.  
  
"This the young man you're going to marry?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am." Liz smiled brightly now.  
  
"I'm Max Evans, I'm sure you've met my daughter."  
  
"Mr. Evans, pleasure to meet you." The woman looked at him from down her nose although he towered over her. "You're from California I take it, where this little blonde came from."  
  
"Yes." Max said pulling Lily closer. "If you'll excuse us?" He directed them back out the door.  
  
"Liz." The woman called back.  
  
"Yes?" She turned.  
  
"Why didn't you stay here and marry one of our nice boys, why did you have to go running off to California? We have plenty of young gentlemen for you here." The woman questioned.  
  
"They really aren't my type," Liz squeezed Max's hand. "And I'm sorry, but I will never marry you're grandson."  
  
She turned and walked out.  
  
The trip to the Parker house was quiet. They were almost there and Aidan was getting excited, Lily grumpy and Liz just drove in silence. Max stared out the window.  
  
The Parkers swooped out from the house to noisily greet the children. Max held Liz back for a moment.  
  
"Did you want to marry one of the nice Roswell boys?" Max queried.  
  
"If I had wanted to, I would have done so four years ago. Just because I was with John, doesn't mean other boys didn't notice me. There were many that wanted to be my knight in shining armor."  
  
That seemed to comfort him a little bit.  
  
After dinner Anna Parker insisted on giving the children baths. Liz volunteered to help—concerned about the woman's sanity.  
  
"Max." Mr. Parker came over to speak with him after the ladies went off with the children.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I hear you're going to be marrying Liz." He asked  
  
"Yeah, that is the plan."  
  
"Will you be adopting Aidan?" They stood outside on the porch watching the desert and hearing wild laughter inside.  
  
"I—we were going to speak with you about that." Max started. "I would very much like to do so, and Liz would adopt Lily. Would you mind your grandson taking my name? We were thinking of changing his middle name to Parker because it would still be in Jonathan's memory. Or we can do the dash thing." Max wondered. "Parker-Evans."  
  
"He'll be more your son than John's. He may not be yours biologically but you will raise him to be an Evans, and as much as I would love to see the Parker name carried on through my line of the family, I do have brothers so it won't die out." He smiled. "I would be honored if you'd let him carry yours."  
  
Max just swallowed elated. "Are you sure? Because I'm willing to leave it if you want it to be your family name."  
  
"Max, I expect you to give the boy your name. Give him something to live up to be, he's going to grow up following your footsteps, so he should carry your name, because that's who he's going to be."  
  
He nodded. "Thank you, sir."  
  
"Thank you for bringing Liz back to us."  
  
"My, pleasure. Now all the other children you and Liz have, Anna and I will consider our grandchildren as well." He said, proudly. "They will call us Oma and Opa, and you will bring them to visit us, and send them for the summer. Understood?"  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"My sister and I have a bet over who will have more grandchildren. I'd like very much to beat her at that. Blasted woman beat me at everything else. You, my lad, are my only hope."  
  
"I'll be obliged to help you, sir." Max said.  
  
Afterwards, an exhausted Anna handed over a very clean, but very happy Lily. "I forgot how much work they can be."  
  
"Yeah, Lilybird would give Dr. Spock a run for his money." Max said.  
  
Lily just grinned sleepily and rubbed her eyes.  
  
"Let's go to the front room for snack, shall we?" Anna ushered them in.  
  
Liz, Aidan, and Mr. Parker were already there. "William, would you get Max and Liz something to drink?"  
  
"I always forget that we're legal, even though I'm twenty-two." Liz smiled and held onto Aidan who curled into her lap.  
  
"True." Barely old enough to drink with two children, what a way to start a marriage.  
  
"So, Liz how are the marriage plans coming around?" Anna asked.  
  
"They're coming." She smiled at Max. Her ring glistened in the lamp light, and Max smiled back shyly. It felt weird being in Liz's late husband's home, sitting with his parents, and talking about their upcoming wedding. "I really haven't begun to think about it yet, still grasping the getting married part."  
  
"It's a lot to take in, honey." Anna patted her hand.  
  
They talked the evening away and before they knew it, it was after ten. Liz let out a yawn that Max quickly took note of. "You ready for bed?"  
  
She nodded. "I think I am." She stood with a sleeping Aidan in her arms.  
  
"I'm not tired." He insisted when Liz moved. "Opa help!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Aidan, but Mommy knows best this time." William Parker laughed at his grandson's appeal. "Oma!" He called.  
  
"Aidan, settle down." Liz would normally expect this out of Lily not her Aidan.  
  
Lily began to stir and Max was desperate to put her down before she fully awoke.  
  
Anna Parker led Max and Liz to the room to where the children would be sleeping.  
  
"I put the children in here, there's only one crib, but Liz said you guys had a 'pack n play'."  
  
"Yeah, Lily can sleep in that in my room." Max said.  
  
"No, I sleep with Lily." Aidan shook his head at the idea of being separated from Lily.  
  
"Um, we put you and Liz in the same room. We weren't quite sure if you wanted to be together or not." Anna spoke quickly. "But one of you could sleep in here because there is a crib and a bed. The other room is right across the hall" She indicated another open door.  
  
"That will be fine." Liz said, "We'll figure something out between us."  
  
"Are you sure you'll be ok?" Anna asked.  
  
"We'll be fine." Max reassured.  
  
"Alright." She said before taking William's hand and walking toward their bedroom.  
  
"What do you want to do?" Max asked Liz, looking at her uncertainty in his eyes.  
  
"I don't know." She shrugged. "Aidan's going to insist on being with Lily because that's what Lily wants and I don't think either of us relish being alone."  
  
"Good idea." He walked to the other room; there was a double bed in there.  
  
Lily woke in Max's arms and looked at the 'pack n play' with disdain clearly in her eyes. "No pack n play."  
  
Max heaved a sigh, "looks like we'll have a few more bedfellows."  
  
Liz lay in bed staring at the ceiling. She looked over at Max who had Lily curled up on his chest but was sleeping just as deeply as Lily was. She uncurled Aidan's body from around hers and scooted him over to Max's side. She smiled, the three of them looked adorable curled up together.  
  
She climbed from the bed and left the room quietly shutting the door behind her.  
  
Max heard her go but decided not to follow her.  
  
She made her way down the hall and to a door she hadn't opened in over for years. Her hand froze on the doorknob.  
  
She twisted and pushed it open.  
  
His smell was faint, but it was there. The bed was made, from the last time she had made it, the morning before she found out about John's death. They had lived with John's parents immediately following the wedding before their apartment was ready, and then she had stayed with them when John was out of town, at his request.  
  
Her image was everywhere, not quite so much as before she had moved in. She had insisted that he take some of them down before she moved in because it freaked her out a little to have so many pictures of her.  
  
She sat down on the bed. It felt exactly as she had remembered it. Closing her eyes she laid back on the bed. The smell immediately engulfed her and tears filled her eyes.  
  
"John, you surround me in here." She said softly. "We had many happy times." She stood. Afraid to touch anything, she slowly moved around to the section of the room he had encouraged her to decorate. There were her wedding pictures. "You made me so happy that day. You never got to meet our little boy. You would be so proud of him." She wiped away a tear. "He knows the alphabet already, and can tie his shoes—double knotted even. She smiled.  
  
"When you died, John, I never thought I could be happy again. Then Max came. You said you wanted a big family, so Aidan could have lots of brothers and sisters. Well, he's getting a sister. In his opinion she's already his. He's so very protective of her, just like you. He takes pride over every achievement and would defend her to the death. He looks like you, John, so much like you." She sat down at his desk. The chair groaned from not being used for so long.  
  
She remembered long nights when she would lie in bed waiting for John to finish with his homework. "I'm getting married in November, John. It's been four years, I hope you understand. Deep in my heart I know you want me to be happy, I am so happy John. I love Max and Max loves me. He loves Aidan, I love Lily. We're going to be happy, I just wanted to say goodbye." Liz said. She walked back to the bed and lay down.  
  
Max stood outside his door staring at the one down the all, that Liz had disappeared into.  
  
"She'll come out when she's ready." Mrs. Parker was standing in the doorway to her bedroom. "I knew she would go in there eventually."  
  
"John's old room?"  
  
"Yeah." She nodded. "I've gone in there myself a couple of times, but Liz refused to, I think she's coming to peace with it." She smiled.  
  
"I think so too." Max nodded his gaze anxiously going to the door.  
  
"Thank you, Max, for that." Anna leaned up on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek. "She's very much my daughter and I appreciate all that you did to bring that sparkle into her eyes again."  
  
"I didn't do anything though." Max looked at her confused.  
  
"That's why I'm so happy, you make her happy by just being you. Keep doing that, and you'll have a long happy marriage." She turned to go back inside when Liz walked out of John's room.  
  
"Oh," she froze as she shut the door. "I didn't know you had woken up." She looked at the floor.  
  
"Don't feel guilty, you did want you had to do, Liz. Are you happy?" He pulled her into his arms.  
  
"Blissfully." She said looking up at him, and accepted the kiss he placed on her lips. She clung to him and moved closer.  
  
"Daddy!" It wasn't a scared call, it was a demand to get back into bed.  
  
"Oh, God." Max pulled back and rested his head against Liz's forehead and looked into her eyes. "Your daughter wants you." He told her.  
  
Her eyes danced happily but she shook her head. "I distinctly heard a 'Daddy' from her, Max."  
  
"Mommy." A new occurrence when she was tired. Rarely, if ever did Lily call Liz mommy during the day.  
  
"See," said Max. "She wants you too."  
  
"She only calls me Mommy when she's tired. Let's hurry and go back and make sure she stays that way, yeah?" Liz asked looking into the room, her heart melting for the little girl standing on the bed with her hands on her hips.  
  
"I think so." Max agreed as he turned her, still in his arms, to go inside the room. The door shut softly behind them and Anna smiled against William.  
  
"I told you they'd be happy." William sighed and his own eyes filled with tears but he kissed his wife's head and led them back into their own room.

** I just wanted to get this up. I don't know when the next part for this will be up. My sister is in the hospital, and I'm supposed to leave for Europe on Tuesday so I'm not sure when I'll have time to work on another part for this, although the eleven hour plane trip should be enough time, yeah? I hope this will be the last sentimental chapter for a while, I think the next one will be more fun. Thank you for all the feedback and reviews that I get. It really makes being up at 2:30 in the morning all worthwhile.**


	23. Sand

Chapter 23  
  
"Yuck!" Lily held her feet up as Liz tried to set her in the sand. "Up."  
  
"No, Lily, you need to walk so I can carry the towels." Liz told her in her most patient voice as possible.  
  
"No!" She looked defiantly at Liz and grasped her harder. "Sand yuck."  
  
"Come on, Lily, fun." Aidan hopped around in the sand trying to get her to like it as well.  
  
"Yuck." She kept up. "No, sand."  
  
"I do believe we met in a sand box." Max came up beside her.  
  
"I think so too, what happened, Lily, why don't you like the sand?" Liz asked.  
  
"Yuck." Lily's new favorite word. She had learned it at daycare and now used it regularly.  
  
"Come on Daddy's back then." Max bent so Lily could climb on his back. "Mommy can't carry you."  
  
Lily hopped on happily not having to touch the sand. Liz rolled her eyes and called Aidan to her side. Lily was gradually beginning to call her Mommy more and more often now and it's how Max referred to her. Aidan was taking his time with Daddy but they knew it would come eventually and neither bothered to push it.  
  
When they found their choice spot on the beach, Liz set the blanket down then pulled out Lily's swimsuit. She set her on the towel, careful not to let her near the sand. "Let's put this on."  
  
"No." Lily protested.  
  
"Lily Evans, if you say no to me one more time you are going to sit on this blanket all day and you will not go in that water, do you hear me?" Liz asked. She hated raising her voice to Lily but the girl's attitude was getting on her nerves.  
  
They faced each other off. Lily's hands on her hips glaring Liz's arms were crossed over her chest glaring right back.  
  
Max and Aidan snuck off to the water to begin building the sand castle they had their heart set on.  
  
Finally agreeing to Liz putting the suit on her she walked towards her. Liz pulled the heavy suit on over the one Lily was already wearing. This one had a floatation device built into the swimsuit.  
  
When Liz was done, Lily threw her arms around Liz's neck in a sort of apology.  
  
"It's ok, Lily." Liz patted her back. "Now sit here, or do you want to play with Daddy and Aidan."  
  
"You." Lily sat on the towel and pulled out some of the toys they had packed for her. Liz spread out next to her and pulled out a bridal magazine, content to spend the day beside Lily.  
  
An hour later, Liz took Lily's hand and guided her down to the water. Holding tight to her hands she put her down in the water and let the tiny waves crash into her feet.  
  
"Cold." Lily lifted her feet but she giggled all the same. "Mommy do it."  
  
Liz made a show of putting her feet in the water as well. "Cold." Liz agreed.  
  
A wave came higher than expected and water splashed in Lily's mouth.  
  
"Yuck!" She declared as she sputtered to get the salt taste out of her mouth. She was soon distracted by something moving in the sand. A wave came too quickly and covered it up. Then as the wave was going out she saw it again.  
  
"Bug!" She declared and dove for it.  
  
"Where is a bug, Lily?" Liz asked as she hauled her out of the water and into her arms. When Lily had slipped from her grasp her heart had stopped.  
  
"Here." She held out her palm and in it sat a big fat sand crab.  
  
"Oh, Lord." Liz looked at it. "Let's go show Daddy and Aidan."  
  
"Daddy, Daddy." Lily ran up to them. Aidan cringed when she kicked in part of their moat.  
  
"What do you have there, Lilybird?" Max asked picking up his daughter and smiling at Liz.  
  
"Bug!" She held out her hands.  
  
It was all Max could do not to drop her. "Nice."  
  
Liz laughed at his face. "Are you scared of it, Max?"  
  
"Of course not, maybe you should let it go." Max set Lily on the ground.  
  
"You are afraid of it."  
  
"No, never." Max said, and looked at the offending crab.  
  
"Just admit it." Liz said smiling, "And we'll let it go."  
  
"Fine, I've always had a fear of them since I was little. Isabel and Grace used to take the greatest pleasure in chasing me around with them." Max said looking strained. "Will you let it go now?"  
  
"Here, give it to me, Lily." Liz took the crab and set it down in the surf where it promptly scampered off to bury itself in the sand away from little girls.  
  
"Are you guys ready for lunch yet?" Liz asked when she walked back to where Aidan and Max had set to repairing the moat that Lily had crushed.  
  
"We'll be up in a moment." Max said from somewhere deep inside the hole.  
  
"In a minute, Mommy." Aidan said as well.  
  
"Up, Mommy." Lily asked as they approached the dry sand. "Yuck."  
  
Liz picked her up before they reached the blanket and settling her on it. "We'll wait for the boys and then we'll eat lunch." She smiled, "Let's look at dresses for you for the wedding."  
  
Lily settled in Liz's lap and looked appreciatively at the magazine. Making the appropriate sounds and adding an occasional "pretty."  
  
An hour later the boys still weren't up from the hole.  
  
"Well, Lily it looks like the boys aren't going to come up any time soon."  
  
"Hungry." Lily patted her belly. "Mommy hungry?"  
  
"Yes, let's go take lunch down there." Liz stood. She cajoled Lily to walk across the sand holding Aidan's lunch in her hand.  
  
When they got to the hole the boys were avidly digging in, Liz set the towel on the ground so Lily wouldn't have to sit on the sand.  
  
Aidan dusted off his hands and sat next to Lily, who watched in horror as his swimming trunks dumped sand on the blanket.  
  
She let the incident pass though, and began to eat her half of the sandwich she had split with Aidan. Her juice sat beside her in her sippy cup—a new found privilege—in the sand. She went to pick it up and the sand that stuck to the cup from the condensation got all over her hands. She looked down at them and tears filled her eyes. Discarding the idea of a drink she set back to her sandwich and bit down on a mouthful of sand. That was the last straw. She chucked the cup and sandwich into the sand. Aidan stood up to go retrieve it and the sand from his swim trunks blew into her eyes.  
  
"Daddy!" She said rubbing her eyes miserably only to find that it loaded more sand into her eyes. "Yuck!"  
  
"Lilybird, what's wrong?" Max picked her up. "Stop rubbing them." Max tried to take her hands away.  
  
"Ouch, ouch, ouch." She wailed. Liz looked up and saw the tears streaming down her face. "Eyes." Lily fought to rub the sand out.  
  
"She has sand in her eyes." Liz quickly went to the cooler to get a bottle of water to rinse her eyes.  
  
"Ouch." Lily said determined to continue to rub her eyes. When that only caused more pain Lily let out a wail.  
  
"Let Mommy see, Lily." Liz pulled her hands away and gently poured the cool water over her eyes.  
  
"Cold." Lily said and tried to bury her head into Max's chest.  
  
"Hold still, Lilybird." Max tried to calm her. "Mommy's going to fix it."  
  
Aidan watched uncertain as to what could help. He sat back down on the blanket and watched.  
  
Lily let out another scream as Liz poured more of the water over her eyes. "Cold, Mommy." She told her furiously but she felt the relief soon enough. Liz finished rinsing off her hands and let them go. Of course they went for her face but clear of sand nothing was there to irritate her eyes.  
  
"Better, love?" Liz asked as she brushed her hair back from her forehead and kissed it.  
  
"Yes." Tears still poured down her eyes and she glared down at the offensive sand but she felt better.  
  
She rested her head against Max's chest as she rubbed her eyes.  
  
"Are you all done with your lunch?" Liz took Lily into her own arms and cradled her against her chest.  
  
Lily nodded and snuggled up to her.  
  
"I'm going to take her up to the towels and get her settled down. You boys come up when you're ready." Liz climbed up the small hill to where they were set up. Aidan watched and looked at Max.  
  
"She gonna be good now?" Aidan asked with concern. "Yeah, she'll be fine." Max sat next to Aidan and the both finished their lunch before they returned to the heavy task of building a fortress.  
  
Lily played a little while longer while Liz flipped through some bridal magazines. She wasn't surprised when she felt Lily straddle her stomach. Moving the magazine up so she could see Lily, Liz smiled at her. "What are you doing?"  
  
Flopping herself across her chest Liz's question was answered. Glancing down, Lily's thumb was secure in her mouth. Moving as little as possible, Liz reached for the pink blanket that Max had packed at the bottom of the bag so Lily wouldn't see it too early. Handing it to a thrilled Lily, Liz shifted so she didn't take so much breath from her. "Night night."  
  
"Night, Lily." Liz kissed the top of her head and brushed her curls back. Thanks to the sun and chlorine from the Evans' pool, the tip of Lily's hair had turned into a delightful shade of green.  
  
"Are we going to see Zoë?" Aidan asked as Max buckled him into the seat.  
  
"We'll have to call Uncle Alex, and see if Aunt Isabel is up to it." Max told him. Zoë, Isabel's three week old daughter, had been an instant hit with Aidan; Lily wasn't so sure she liked the little girl that had taken her place with Uncle Alex.  
  
"No Zoë." Lily shook her head in the negative. Max had hoped she would sleep long enough to get home but the thought would have been too good to happen.  
  
"We have to call first." Liz soothed her.  
  
Lily just glared in answer.  
  
Everything went fine until the pulled onto the freeway.  
  
"Itchy." Lily whined.  
  
"I thought you changed her out of her swimsuit." Max looked at Liz.  
  
"I did, I even rinsed her off in the showers." Liz watched as Lily screwed her face up to complain again.  
  
"Itchy." She said again.  
  
"I shook out her blanket." Max said wondering what she found itchy.  
  
Then Liz spotted the culprit. She had worn shoes, not sandals like Aidan. "Oh, God, did we check her shoes?"  
  
Max shook his head solemnly and switched lanes. "It's only a little ways home, you think we could survive it?"  
  
"Aidan, take Lily's shoes off, please." Because he was in a booster seat he could move around easier.  
  
"I can't reach it, Mommy." He shook his head, and watched too as Lily's face got redder.  
  
He looked out the window and mentally prepared himself like his mother. Max just sped up and tried to get home as soon as possible. 


	24. The Wedding

**I seem to always seem to be behind over here so you guys get two parts in one day! I'm posting 24 and 25 today! Make sure to get both in.**

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**Chapter 24  
**  
"Alright, Liz, that does it." Isabel set the glimmering tiara on her head. It sat delicately among the mass of curls that Isabel had meticulously curled, once she got Liz to let her use the curling iron on her.  
  
Isabel, Maria, and Gracie all had matching dresses, spaghetti strapped, and ankle-length swaths of satin — lilac colored. They stood to go into the back of the church to get ready for the processional.  
  
"Where's Lily?" Gracie asked hoping somebody knew where the little girl was.  
  
"I here." She peeked from behind Liz's traditional, off white, wedding dress.  
  
She had been surprisingly good all day, despite the fact she had gone to bed late and risen early that morning.  
  
Her dress was of a darker purple and went to her knees, completed in the back with a bow that she was proud of. She was to hold a small white basket of flowers.  
  
Liz looked from the flower girl to each of her bridesmaids. "I feel outnumbered, I'm the only brunette in the party, and I'm the bride."  
  
"You'll stand out more that way, dear sister." Isabel bent to straighten Lily's tiara that matched Liz's. "You know," she stood again, "we're already technically sisters, and you're sort of marrying your brother-in- law."  
  
"No." Liz said with a smile. "You married your brother-in-law and just had his baby three months ago. But it does sound a bit incestuous, doesn't it?"  
  
"Yes." Both Isabel and Grace answered together.  
  
"You look beautiful, my dear." Liz looked up and saw her father.  
  
"Hi, Daddy, thank you." She blushed.  
  
"We'll wait for you out here." Maria shuffled them all out into the entryway. Lily clung stubbornly to Liz and refused to leave her.  
  
"Looks like I've acquired myself a new granddaughter." He lifted Lily up in his arms.  
  
Not one to be shy she smiled brilliantly at him.  
  
"I've done this once before, Lizzie, and I'm sure this will be the last time that I'm going to do it. I hope you'll be happy, sweetheart, because you deserve it. I know this isn't the time to really discuss this, but I talked to Diane and Phillip, I'm gonna take the kids tomorrow and I'll return them before supper. Your honeymoon isn't very long."  
  
"We're sort of surprised we got one at all, with the two kids. Are you sure, is Nancy ok with that, both of them?" Liz had so many questions swirling around in her head.  
  
"Yes, yes and yes. I spoke with Nancy and she says she won't help me with them, but she won't mind them being there." He stepped closer and cupped her cheek in his hand. "It's not much, but it's a start and I hope to progress more, being around these two kind of melts you."  
  
"Well it'll make or break you, she's not an easy one." Liz looked at Lily, who grinned.  
  
"Yeah, well, we'll try. But you don't mind?"  
  
"No, I'd be delighted." Liz hugged him. "We'll call tomorrow night to see how it went."  
  
"No, no need, you two will be enjoying yourselves, are you ready, baby?"  
  
"Yeah." She took his elbow.  
  
By some act of God, Aidan and Liz talked Lily into walking down the aisle beside Aidan.  
  
Aidan looked adorable in his tiny tuxedo, though he didn't look too comfortable. He matched the other groomsmen, Michael, Alex, and after a few arguments, Gracie's fiancé, Kyle—Max wasn't too fond of him yet.  
  
Lily sat quietly during the wedding and through the first part of the reception until she decided she wanted a piece of the fun and attention as well.  
  
Max looked over Liz's shoulder as the danced and noticed restlessness in his daughter.  
  
"Lily's starting up." He warned.  
  
"She's been good today I'm surprised she didn't start sooner." She rubbed her thumb over her wedding ring again and felt a wave of giddiness flow through her.  
  
"True, Mrs. Evans." He smiled down at her.  
  
She smiled just as brightly right back. "That sounds strange but wonderful. I'm gonna have to have all my papers in college changed now."  
  
"Not so horrible. Liz, our son is a genius." He turned her so she could see too. "Aidan distracted her so she wasn't so antsy.  
  
Aidan's adoption papers had been easy since the absent parent was deceased. Max decided not to tell Liz that Lily's were going to be much more difficult. With Tess still alive, they were going to have to find her and have her forfeit her rights. Though Tess had no interest whatsoever in the child, she wouldn't give up her rights to another woman.  
  
It was a tearful goodbye, Max felt his heart breaking at Lily's cry for Liz, she ignored him. He didn't know what he had done but decided he would call and talk to her later. Aidan tried to be brave but broke down when they were walking out the door of the Evans' house.  
  
"Don't go, Mommy." He clung to her neck.  
  
"I'll be back the day after tomorrow, sweetheart." Liz promised and kissed him. "We need you to take care of Lily, and Grandpa Jeff is going to come get you tomorrow."  
  
He nodded and rubbed his tired eyes.  
  
"Max." He held up his arms.  
  
"Alright, Aidan." He said once he had him in his arms. "It's up to you to hold down the fort. Don't let your sister get into too much trouble, and she's gonna probably miss Mommy and I a lot. Do you think you can help her?"  
  
"Yes." He flexed his nonexistent muscles which Max tested with approval.  
  
"Remember, that monster that lives under her bed. She's gonna need a strong soldier like you to fight it off."  
  
He nodded seriously. "I won't let it get her, Max, I promise."  
  
"Good, now I know she'll be safe." Max mussed his hair and set him on the ground.  
  
"Take care of Mommy." He told Max.  
  
"I will."  
  
"Good." They gave a man to man nod and both seemed satisfied with it.  
  
With a few more waves and kisses Max and Liz set off to the cabin the Parkers had rented for their honeymoon, in the mountains little over an hour away.  
  
Jeff Whitman stared at his grandchildren and wondered what had possessed him to bring them both at one time. They looked so innocent while they slept. While Aidan was more like his daughter, subdued and quiet, Lily was loud and had an attitude that would put his wife's to shame.  
  
Lily stirred.  
  
Dear God, it couldn't have been an hour already. Just a little longer, Lily, please.  
  
Her eyes fluttered and she sat up. "Dan-dan up!"  
  
Aidan opened his eyes and felt the doll jamming into him.  
  
"Lily why don't you let Aidan sleep for a while?" The poor boy was obviously tired.  
  
She looked at her brother in disgust then turned to Jeff. She smiled innocently at him and hauled herself up. "Potty!"  
  
He helped her to the restroom and coming back into the bedroom saw Aidan had gone back to sleep.  
  
"What do you want to do, Lily?" He stifled a yawn. He could do this, he thought, only a few more hours.  
  
"I can play with her, if you want to go rest with Aidan?" Nancy said carefully.  
  
"I don't want to trouble you."  
  
"It's no trouble at all." She picked up Lily. "I think we have a lot in common."  
  
"If you want to, don't hesitate to wake me though." He said looking between the two females, both glaring.  
  
Lily was shocked to be hit with her own attitude at every turn she made. Aidan would concede after a pout, Max was putty in her hands, Liz would sort of stop her, Jeff was a rug, Nancy was a force to be reckoned with, and she loved it.  
  
"Down." Lily demanded after she finished her cracker.  
  
"What do you say?" Nancy raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Down, please?" She batted her eyelashes. "Nana?"  
  
"Alright, thank you." She set her on the floor.  
  
"How'd you do that, Nancy?" Jeff was astonished. "I'm a natural." She shrugged. "Is Aidan hungry?"  
  
"Nancy, why are you being so nice to the children, not that I'm complaining."  
  
"I...I didn't treat Liz too well, when she was little or ever, really. I think I was jealous of her mother, or rather your love for her mother. I was hoping maybe I could make it up with her children?"  
  
"I'm sure she'd appreciate that. She's willing to try to start over, Nancy, just say the word."  
  
"Grandpa Jeff, Lily's doing something bad." He had never before tattled on Lily but now he felt he was obligated to.  
  
"Lily no!" Jeff called as she was getting ready to dump the entire can of fish food into the tank. "I thought we moved the chair.  
  
"We did." Nancy huffed. She plucked Lily off the chair and hauled it behind her to the away from the tank. "If you're so intent on using this chair, you will sit in it correctly, with your bottom on the seat, you will not move until I tell you to, understood?"  
  
Aidan blanched, not even his mother talked to her that way.  
  
She started to pout. "Nancy." Jeff said.  
  
Aidan didn't know what to call her so he just watched.  
  
"No, Jeff, she'll learn discipline when she's in my house. If she behaves she gets rewarded, if she acts up, she gets time outs. Aidan, come with Nana, and we'll get something for you to eat."  
  
"But, Nana," that sounded funny on his tongue he had never called her that before. "Lily's gonna cry."  
  
"Next time she won't climb in the chair, Jeff you have time out duty, if you let her up in less than five minutes, you'll be the one in that chair."  
  
Gulping and turning away from Lily's pouting face he took on sentry watch.  
  
"Aidan your mommy's on the phone." Diane whispered in Aidan's ear so Lily wouldn't get jealous, though her manners improved since yesterday.  
  
He got up, delighted to speak to her.  
  
"Hi, Mommy." He said lovingly held the phone against his ear and almost burst into tears at her voice. "I miss you."  
  
"I miss you too, baby." Liz spoke to her son on the phone.  
  
"When you coming home?" He asked, it was the day after tomorrow they should be there.  
  
"Soon." Aidan paused when the doorbell rang. He was tempted to get it but his parents were adamant about him not answering the door.  
  
"Who's at the door, honey?" She asked.  
  
"I don't know, Grandma hasn't gotten it yet." He looked at it anxiously.  
  
"Aidan get the door!" Diane called from the back.  
  
He ran to it, he loved seeing who was there. Pulling on the door with one hand and the phone in the other was impossible. "Hold on, Mommy."  
  
"Alright." She laughed.  
  
He set the phone down on the table by the door and used both hands. He picked up the phone again before he looked.  
  
He turned and his eyes grew huge. "Mommy!" He launched himself into her arms.  
  
"Hi, I missed you, Aidan." She hugged him close.  
  
"Me too!" He hugged her close. "Don't go again."  
  
"I won't." They weren't even supposed to be home till that evening but both her and Max wanted to come home.  
  
"Daddy!" Lily ran to him and hugged his legs. Max lifted her into his arms and hugged her close. "I missed you, Lilybird, were you good for Grandma?"  
  
"Yes." She answered. Nancy had instilled fear into the child. "We go to Nana's house."  
  
"Who's Nana?" Max asked.  
  
"Nancy Whitman, your daughter took a liking to the woman, According to Jeff, they had quite a showdown, Nancy coming out triumphant, Lily, I guess, loved every minute of it." Diane smiled. "Phillip isn't home since we weren't expecting you home anytime soon." She held the kids overnight bags.  
  
"Thank you so much for watching them, Mom."  
  
"You'll want to call Nancy Whitman and thank her." She said. "Lily almost had a heart attack when we came to get them. I'd keep you guys, but I know you want to get home. Classes tomorrow and all, we'll call you later." She handed Max the bags.  
  
"Thank you again, Mom." Liz said. It felt funny to her ears, but Mrs. Evans was no longer appropriate considering that was her name as well now.  
  
"You're welcome my dears." She kissed them both on the cheek. "It was my pleasure."  
  
**[TBC**


	25. Tess is Back

**Make sure you get both 24 and 25 or you'll be a little lost on this post. I seem to not post as often on this site so you'll get two in one day! Thanks for sticking with it!**

**chapter 25**  
  
_"I'm sorry, Miss Harding, but you're not what we're looking for.   
_  
The thought floated through her head a dozen times. If it wasn't for that stupid brat she had, she wouldn't have the stretch marks, and she'd be what they were looking for.  
  
She stood looking in the mirror for a while longer wondering what she could do about them.  
  
"Tess, you have mail." Her mother called. "It's from Max."  
  
Speak of the devil. "What could he want?"  
  
"How should I know, sweetie, last we heard from him was over a year ago."  
  
She opened the envelope.  
  
"Oh, Mom, look." She held it to her. "He got married and wants his new wife to adopt my daughter."  
  
"Now why would he want that?"  
  
"I don't know, it doesn't say." She shrugged. She didn't care one way or another about the kid, but she could make him suffer for the stretch marks she acquired while pregnant with his baby.  
  
She grinned. There was always laser removal, but that cost money.  
  
Money was something the Evans had. Putting the papers back in the envelope, Tess smiled to herself. If the Max Evans wanted custody of the kid, they'd have to pay.  
  
Liz shuffled through more papers, while Max studied. He was much better at this law stuff than she was but he needed to pass the final tomorrow. Her last final had been the day before. She looked over the rim of her glasses to see if Lily was still working on what she was supposed to be. Satisfied she pushed them back up and went back to work.  
  
"I show Daddy?" She asked holding up a picture a few minutes later.  
  
"Yeah, go ahead sweetheart." Liz dismissed her. She had settled down some, and outgrown her bad stage. At almost three she was starting to settle down and act a little less insane.  
  
Liz, on the other hand, wasn't so sure of her sanity. Aidan's adoption had gone through a week after the wedding. Lily's wasn't even really in the process yet. Tess Harding hadn't been gone long enough for it to be abandonment and she wasn't deceased. Max had explained to her the possibility of Tess giving up her rights was slim to none, but she had a little faith. She had held her breath when they had mailed the papers asking her to.  
  
Were the just opening a can of worms?  
  
Lily walked past the front door which was open to let in cool air. Despite it being January, they were having a heat wave. She stopped to look out, wondering when Oma and Opa would bring Aidan back.  
  
Someone was walking up the front steps. Three people to be exact. She could now count up to twenty, three was easy. She stared at the woman who had the same curly hair that she did. She backed away from the door.  
  
_ "Never open the doors to strangers, Lilybird, always find me or Mommy." _Her dad made that very clear.  
  
"Hi, there, sweetheart, what's your name?" Sweetheart, that's what her mommy called her.  
  
_"Never talk to strangers"_ her mother's voice.  
  
"Mom, that's Lily." The one that looked like her said. She knew her name! She'd never seen these people before but they frightened her.  
  
The paper forgotten on the floor she stared. She was normally very open with people, but she couldn't be with these people. Something about them made her feel wrong.  
  
"Is your daddy home, Lilybird?" The young woman asked.  
  
That did it, no one called her that except her father, not even her mother. She was scared and she was going to let the whole house know it. "Mommy!"  
  
The people at the door jumped backward at the volume.  
  
"She remembers me." Tess said thrilled. "Open the door."  
  
"Daddy!"  
  
Looking up, Liz dropped what she was doing. She had heard Lily yell before but never with that tone of voice, never sounding that scared.  
  
Max came running too.  
  
"Lily, what's wrong, Mommy's here." Liz picked her up, not noticing the door.  
  
She clung to Liz and sniffled, still trembling.  
  
"Tess." Max skidded to a halt. Stepping in front of his wife and daughter he looked at the woman he had hoped never to see again.  
  
Liz looked up at the name and clutched Lily tighter to her.  
  
Liz's heart was racing. This was the other woman's child. No, Lily was hers. Shaking her head she stepped around Max.  
  
"Don't look surprised, Max." She grinned and then her gaze drifted towards Liz. Straightening, Liz met her look for look. "This must be your wife. I'm surprised at you; I always thought you had a thing for blondes."  
  
He stiffened before turning to Liz. She seemed to have taken no offense to the remark. "You must be Tess, Max invite them in." She was severely polite, throwing the entire party off guard.  
  
Still hiccupping from her tears Lily stuck a thumb in her mouth. Liz soothed her back as she walked to the living room, very aware of the daggers being thrown at her back. She settled Lily on her lap as she sat on the couch where she knew Max would soon join her.  
  
He did, as soon as the Hardings were seated, he sat beside Liz. Lily crawled into his lap, and shot glaciers at the family across the way.  
  
"So she already calls you mommy?" Tess said looking at the child she had given birth to. She had tear streaks down her cheeks, and her eyes were red and swollen. Her hair mussed. "You'd think she'd be better kept."  
  
Deadly calm, insulted at the woman's jab inferring she didn't take care of her children, Liz looked back at her. "If she hadn't felt threatened by you, she wouldn't have cried, if she hadn't cried, than she'd be perfectly well kept."  
  
"Well she shouldn't feel threatened by her mother." Tess pointed out.  
  
"She isn't." Both Max and Liz answered together.  
  
"But you just said...oh...I understand." She gave a mirthless laugh. "No matter what she calls you, I will always be her mother on that paper. You can't sign a legal document, ever, until I give up my rights."  
  
Liz's face drained when she realized what power this woman had over her. "Legalities don't matter, she's mine."  
  
"No, she's really not. All I would have to do is waltz into court and demand visitation rights or joint custody, and where would you be, Mrs. Evans?" She sneered. "Up the creek without a paddle, because there's jack squat you could do."  
  
Frustrated and furious, Liz stood up. "Come with Mommy, Lily."  
  
Lily took her hand and hopped down from Max's lap. Staying as close to Liz as possible she settled into the kitchen and picked up the phone.  
  
"Anna?"  
  
"Yes, Liz." Aidan's Oma picked up the phone.  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"About a block away."  
  
"Look, I'm sorry to ask this of you, Anna, but I need something." She bit back tears and took a calming breath.  
  
"What is it honey, Will and I will do everything in our power to help." Anne sensed her distress.  
  
"Lily's biological mother is here, with her parents." She said fast into the phone. "I don't want the children here, but I don't want the Hardings to know I'm sending them away. Especially Lily."  
  
"Oh." She was stunned for a moment, "just a second."  
  
The phone was muted and she heard muffled voices. "Will and I will come around the back through the kitchen, pack the kids an over night bag they'll stay at our hotel with us."  
  
"Thank you so much, Anna, you don't know how much I appreciate this."  
  
"Oh, honey, we don't want to lose her either."  
  
With their backs to the walkway the Hardings completely missed Liz and Lily going to the back bedrooms to get their bags. Max recognized the bags when they walked back through. He trusted Liz knew what she was doing.  
  
Sitting Lily on the counter she strapped her shoes on. "Oma and Opa are coming to get you. You and Aidan are going to spend the night with them, at their hotel. Mommy needs you to be a good girl, alright Lily, I'll call Nana and tell her you were bad if you don't."  
  
Lily nodded. She didn't understand but felt her mother's fear.  
  
Hugging Lily close to her she kissed her hair smiled. She whispered assurances of her love once more before William knocked on the door.  
  
Signaling Lily to be quiet, Liz handed her to him. "I love you, sweetheart." Liz waved.  
  
"Love you, Mommy."  
  
Liz almost broke down into tears. "I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
William hugged Liz and was out the door.  
  
"Alright." Liz checked herself in the mirror.  
  
Rejoining Max on the couch, Liz looked at the Hardings. "Where were we?"  
  
"What'd you do with Lillian?"  
  
"Don't worry about it." Liz told them smug. "What we need to discuss does not require her presence."  
  
"Tess, I know you don't want Lily." Max held Liz's hand to present a united front. "I don't understand why you're holding out on forfeiting your rights."  
  
"I gained twenty four pounds carrying Lily. Before that pregnancy I didn't have any scars or stretch marks, now I do. It has damaged my career as an actress, and you need to pay for that. I'm willing to sign her over as long as you pay me."  
  
"Did it ever occur to you that you're just a bad actress?" Liz said before she could stop herself.  
  
"I will not have you slandering my daughter." Mr. Harding stood up to her. "You will take that back."  
  
"And I won't have you speak to my wife like that." Max shot back. "She was just telling the truth, and she was not done speaking. Finish what you had to say, love."  
  
"Thank you." She smiled at Max. "I gained thirty pounds with Aidan, which gave me a few stretch marks of my own, do you see me cursing John or taking it out on Aidan? I look at it as a small sacrifice to have someone I love and who loves me so completely."  
  
Tess crossed her arms. "Once you have one of Max's brats you'll change your mind."  
  
"I don't see how you're upset that you carried Max's child." She said quietly. It thrilled her that one day she would too. "And Lily would not take kindly to being called a brat, and I take it less so. Please stop."  
  
"You wouldn't understand." Tess shook her hands. Ignoring the latter comment.  
  
"Alright." Max held up a hand. "Let's get back to the task on hand. Tess, I'm not going to pay you for my daughter."  
  
"Sure you are. You're desperate for her to be Liz's."  
  
"Not that desperate." Liz shook her head. It didn't have to be legal. What was in her heart was all that mattered. Or so she told herself.  
  
"I can make your life hell. School reports, drivers' license, passports. You would never be able to leave the country with her. You need both parents' consent. She's mine and she'll remain that way until you pay me."  
  
"We could take you to court. You forget I'm in law school, lots of friends and connections that could tip the scales in my favor."  
  
"You would never sink so low." Tess smirked.  
  
"He slept with you didn't he?" Liz said before she could stop herself. Her eyes widened. She had not just said that. She was on a mean streak today. Then again, there were those sayings warning against getting between a mother and her children.  
  
Tess sat stunned. So did Mr. and Mrs. Harding. Max blinked at his wife.  
  
Mrs. Harding recovered first. "It would take you more money to take us to court than to just pay her off."  
  
"How much do you want?" Max asked out of curiosity.  
  
"Fifty thousand."  
  
"Are you crazy? We're college students raising two kids, where are we gonna get that kind of money?" Max exclaimed.  
  
"You have parents, and I'll take it in installments." Tess folded her hands satisfied with their reactions.  
  
"No." Liz shook her head. "Absolutely not."  
  
"Liz." Max stroked her hand with his thumb.  
  
"Max." She looked up at him. "If we just take her to court, it will be better. There is no way that would give her custody, Max." She said with a confidence she did not feel. "Your father would help us and I'm sure he has a few friends that are capable of helping us, if Tess really wants to go to court, we'll go to court."  
  
Smiling down, in awe, at his wife Max answered Tess. Her voice had been steady even though he could feel her hand trembling in his. "You have your answer. Since you are going to make this difficult, we'll go to court. I would say though, the loss of a child in a court custody case would not look good for an aspiring actress." He was looking at Tess now.  
  
All color drained from Tess' face. He had hit home.  
  
"Think of the publicity. Tess Harding gives up only child in the child's best interest. She didn't want a custody battle to deeply scar the baby. It would all be very good for you, Tess. But to have your rights taken away, that would signify that there is something wrong with you. That would lead to investigations and soon enough it would come up that you abandoned your poor nine-month old daughter, leaving her with her young father, who eventually remarried and has a stable home. Which stories do you like better, Tess? You decide."  
  
"That's not fair!" She cried clearly upset.  
  
"Neither is what you're asking of us. No one would ever know you had a child. If you wouldn't say anything no one would ever have to know."  
  
Her faced turned a deep shade of red, surprisingly looking nothing like Lily when she was upset.  
  
"Ah. Even better now. If you don't give over custody, and you do—by some miracle—manage to make it big someone, somehow would find out about it, and it would not be very pretty and then we'll be back at the beginning."  
  
"This isn't the Max Evans I remember." Tess shook her head in disbelief. She had thought he would have been a pushover.  
  
Max gave her a smile that would have frozen over the entire Pacific Ocean. She was right, Max thought. This Max Evans had his family to think of and it had been threatened, he wasn't going to let anyone hurt his family. He had worked too hard, too long to get where he was. He was happy and she was sitting here threatening that happiness. It wasn't going to happen, he'd do anything to keep his family exactly the way it was.

**tbc**


	26. Tess, Liz, and Piano Lessons

**Chapter 26**

Liz answered the door reluctantly. She wondered what Lily had done to upset their neighbor this time. No one was home but her. Max was at school, and Lily and Aidan were still with Oma and Opa. It was the snotty old lady from across the way with her even snottier granddaughter. They both looked down their noses at Liz.

"I hear you play the piano." The woman didn't bother to wait to be invited in.

"Yes." Liz shut the door baffled.

"What about giving my girl here lessons?" She pushed her foreword.

"I'm sorry Ms..."  
  
"Young."

"I'm sorry Ms. Young, but I don't give lessons." Liz shook her head. "I only accompany."  
  
"But you can give lessons." She pushed. "I hear you teaching that boy of yours." 

"Well, yes, he's my son, it's different." Liz said. "I don't give them to anyone else."

"Why?"  
  
"Because I'm not trained to be a piano instructor." And she had never given it much thought. She was planning on just getting Aidan on his feet before sending him to a real teacher.

"You're an Education major aren't you?"

"Yes." She nodded. How would this woman know this?

"Put it to good use. You will teach my granddaughter. When is the most convenient time for you?"  
  
"Ms. Young, I have two young children, I'm trying to attend school—along with my husband—and I have a job that deals with rehearsals and meetings and all day performances. I don't really have time."

The woman raised an eyebrow. Already drained Liz relented.

"How about tomorrow at three?" Max would be here to watch the babies.

"Perfect. We appreciate this." The woman took the girl's hand and walked away.

Shaking her head she went back inside. Why hadn't she thought of giving lessons before? They could use the money and it was something she enjoyed. When the students got too advanced she could send them to a more advanced teacher.

She went to the kitchen to mark the calendar. The kids had doctor's appointments. Aidan had to begin vaccinations for kindergarten the coming fall, and Lily needed a check-up.

She scooted closer to the calendar to study it more.

"You know you wouldn't have to squint so hard if you would only wear your glasses." Max wrapped one arm around her waist and gently set her glasses on her nose with the other.

"Yuck." She scrunched her nose, in an imitation of Lily, as she took them off. "I can see just fine."

"You're only going to make it worse. They make you look cute." He kissed her nose.

"I don't want to look cute." Liz shook her head and wrapped her arms around Max.

She turned and just let herself be held in his arms for a moment. They hadn't talked after Tess and her family had left yesterday. She had spent the night being comforted in his arms and had been reluctant this morning to let him go to class. Not having the kids for the night had been an added bonus, though she was missing their insistent chatter and it wasn't quite yet noon.

Max held her tightly against him and waited a moment. Max cursed Tess for causing Liz this pain. She had been almost inconsolable last night even when he had assured her she would always be Lily's mother. She had held out until Tess left and then she broke. She never outwardly spoken of her fears but they radiated from her.

He froze. "Liz, come sit down."

Hugging him close to her as if she wanted to crawl inside him she turned her head to look up at him. "What's wrong?"

Panic filled her and she let him drag her to a seat at the table.

"I have to tell you something." He knelt in front of her.

"What, Max?" 

"I have to go away for a week." He said it carefully.

"Why!" She exclaimed. Not now, she needed him now.

"I need to go for school. There's a seminar being put on by Berkeley. This will put me a year ahead. If I go to this, I only have one more year of school left, and then maybe we could buy a house." He tried to encourage her. He could read the panic in her eyes.

"Do you have to go now, Max?" She asked.

"I do." He nodded. "I have to fly there. It would take all night to drive there, it's only an hour flight so I won't have to leave here until nine tomorrow morning, seminar starts at noon."

She was silent. She could do this. "Why now?"  
  
"Because we have two little kids to think of. We're making it ok now but it would be so much better if I could get an internship over the summer." He smoothed her hair, hoping to soothe her.

She nodded. This would be better for all of them. It was just a week, just an hour's flight. Nothing would happen in the next week.

"And if Tess comes?"

"She won't." Max assured her. "Tess threatens but that's about all she does. We'll work on that when I get back. I promise." He pulled her to him again. "My mom will take me to the airport."

"Alright. What will we tell the kids?"

"Lily probably won't notice I'm gone and Aidan will be alright." Max smiled when he thought of his children. Picking her up he went to the couch and settled her on his lap. Resting her head she let Max's heart beat comfort her.

"What do you think if I started giving piano lessons?"

"Why?"  
  
"That woman across the way brought her granddaughter over and told me I was going to give the girl some."

"The one that's always accusing Lily for things?"

"The same one. And usually Lily did do whatever she's accused of, Max."

"That's beyond the point, Liz." Max said.

"Hardly. I'm going to; I think it will be fun. The girl's not to nice but we'll work around that. And the piano's here and I already teach Aidan, and I am an education major. She starts tomorrow at three." She said through one breath.

"That'd be fun for you." Max agreed. He heard a car door slam and the sound of running feet on the sidewalk. "They're home."

"Hi!" Lily burst inside her face full of happiness.

She bounded Liz's arms happy to be home.

Aidan walked more calmly into the house until he saw his parents and then joined Lily on their laps. "Did you two have fun?"

"Yes, we went to the mall." Aidan turned to tell his parents.

"Look!" Lily held her shirt. She had no idea what it said or meant but the fact that she got a new shirt was enough to make her happy.

Liz read and could hardly suppress her laughter. "Very fitting."

Max read the shirt that said, "my finger may be small, but I can still wrap my daddy around it."

He blushed and looked down at the ground. He knew he was a sucker for his daughter.

"We found it appropriate." Anna walked in. "How are you two?"

Liz gave her a small smile.

"Please, come in and sit down." Max stood, holding Lily in his arms.

"No, we're going to head out. We were going to leave this morning, we got a little behind."

"I'm sorry, thank you so much. We'll call you and fill you in." Liz hugged her then went to William.

"Good luck, you two. Lily and Aidan, be good." Anna kissed the kids cheeks. "I'll se you during summer."

"Bye!" Lily waved goodbye.

"See you later Oma." He hugged her.

"Bye, Opa." He shook his hand like a man, grinning.

They waved them goodbye before heading back inside.

"I'm hungry." Lily rubbed her tummy.

"You want a cheese sandwich?" Liz asked

"Yes." They both replied in unison.

"Mommy." Aidan looked up at her.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Liz brushed his hair back from his eyes and decided he needed a haircut.

"Why were you crying?" He asked concerned. 

"Because Mommy had some things to think about."

"Is Lily going away?"  
  
"Where'd you hear that?" Liz bent down to him.

"Oma and Opa were talking about it last night." He told her. "I don't want her to. She's my sister, and I'm her brother." He puffed out his chest.

"No, she's not going to go away." She said and kissed his head. "I promise."

"Ok." He took her hand and followed her into the kitchen.

Liz wasn't surprised—later that night—when Lily squeezed herself between her and Max. 

Lily hadn't taken it as well as they had hoped that Max was going away. Aidan didn't take it well either, both kids were distraught at the thought.

"Daddy." Lily tucked herself next to him.

"Lily give me the doll, please?" Liz asked. She'd share the bed, but she didn't need to share it with the doll.

She reluctantly handed it over and plopped her thumb into her mouth.

A few moments later Aidan climbed into the bed as well. Max opened his eyes and smiled at Liz. Moving over to give Aidan more she wrapped an arm around them both.

"Love you." He mouthed to her.

She smiled and nodded her love to him as well.

"Mommy got you, Lily." Liz rolled Lily underneath her. "You're my captive and now you have to eat your lunch." 

Lily giggled hysterically. "Dan dan, help!"  
  
Aidan came to the rescue. "You can't have the princess." He charged and took Liz down.

Easily flipping Aidan over, Liz caught them both and trapped them. "Surrender."  
  
"Never!" Aidan tried to struggle from her grip.

"Surrender." She held her hands up threatening to tickle.

"No!" Lily said laughing as she anticipated the tickling.

The doorbell rang. "You two better be here when I get back." Liz warned.

They giggled as Liz stood up. At the same time they both went for her legs. She struggled to stay upright and make her way to the door. She pushed at her hair, but knew it was hopeless, she answered.

"Ah, Liz." Tess stood there. "Did I catch you at a bad time?" She stepped into the house.

Liz wondered if people just didn't bother to wait to be invited in anymore.

"With a five and a two-and a half-year-old, every time is a bad time. She looked down at the two kids still clasping her legs. "Alright, guys, you win. Wait till Daddy gets back and you'll both go down. Go play."

"We want cantaloupe." Aidan voiced for the both of them.

With a sigh, Liz picked up Aidan. "Alright, Tess if you'd follow us."

She took them to the kitchen and set Aidan in his booster seat, Lily climbed into her seat glaring at the woman standing in the doorway.

"Did you need something, Tess?" Liz asked as she sliced up a piece of the fruit, and removed the peel. Cutting it into tiny pieces she reached up to retrieve two bowls, causing her hair to tumble out of it's already untidy bun.

She brushed her hair out of her face and set the bowls down.

"Actually," Tess raised an eyebrow at her mussed appearance. "I was hoping to talk with Max."

"Daddy's not here." Lily informed her and accepted the bowl from Liz.

"I didn't ask you, Lily." Tess answered rudely.

"Thank you." Aidan and Lily answered in unison. 

"You're welcome." Liz smiled at them before turning back to Tess with daggers in her eyes. "She was just telling you the facts."

The look Tess send back was just as mean. "When do you expect him back?"

"Three more days." She glanced at the countdown the kids had made to go on the refrigerator.

"Oh." She smiled again, a smile filled with malice. "You're alone with them?"

"Yes." Liz straightened.

"In that case, maybe Lily better come with me." Tess said.

"No." The word was final, and Liz maneuvered Tess out of the kitchen and shut the door behind her. "Don't even think about it."

"But a child is better with her mother." Tess said.

"She is with her mother, and if you even think of taking her out of here, you heartless bitch, you won't know what hit you."

"Now, now, no need for name calling." Tess said, her feathers thoroughly ruffled, she was angry. 

"That wasn't name calling I was just telling you what you are." Liz spit back.

"Liz, that's no way to get on my good side. I have something to tell you, it may help you." Tess could see she got Liz's attention.

"You think we can act civilized?" Liz asked with her arm perched on the doorknob. "Lily will be out of that chair and destroying my kitchen if I leave this door closed much longer."

"Yes." Tess answered.

To Liz's relief both children were happily eating fruit.

"Did you ever think that Lily might not be Max's child?" Tess asked, helping herself to a seat.

"What?" Liz turned to her stunned, her heart pounding hard.

"Now I have your attention." Tess folded her hands primly over her lap. "Max wasn't the only man I was sleeping with, you know."

A thousand names flew into Liz's head to call Tess but she held them inside, her heart aching for Max. "What gives you the idea that she wasn't his?"

"I'm actually pretty sure she's not his." Tess said. "I think Max knows too."

"How can you say that? Look at her, she's Max's daughter." Liz fought desperately. "She has his eyes."  
  
"She has brown eyes, Liz, so do a lot of people." Tess said. "She physically does not look like Max, face it."

"Why did you tell him she was his then?" Liz asked, not truly absorbing it. She wanted Max home now.

"I knew he would take responsibility of her. Max was always very careful, Liz. You would know that. He took every precaution to make sure we didn't have any pregnancies. I was planning on telling him but I wasn't even sure who the father was."

Slut. It was the first thing that popped into Liz's mind. Stay calm, breath, get her to leave.

"Anything else?"

"I'm willing to cut a deal with you, Liz." Tess raised an eyebrow.

"And that would be." Liz knew it was nothing she was interested in. Lily had started to fling cantaloupe around the kitchen.

"I will get you!" Aidan had climbed down from his chair and Lily had done likewise. They had flipped the chairs over and were hiding behind them like a fort.

"Never!" Lily declared and chucked a particularly chunk across the room.

"You'll get yours!" Aidan bravely withstood the cantaloupe chunks to tackle his sister.

"I win!" Aidan said triumphantly.

Liz grimaced when she saw them but there was nothing she could do at the moment.

"Lily is not Max's child."

"We don't know that." Liz corrected.

Tess ignored her and went on. "You both seem to want her. As long as Max's name is on the birth certificate she's his. I now know who the father might be."

"Max is."

Again ignoring her she went on. "I'm happy to leave Lily where she is, I've no chance of getting her back, and I don't want her. You guys can keep her for all I care. Just as long as none of this leaks to the press. When I'm rich and famous, I don't want you to come crawling to me for money. I'll totally forget about Lily and you can forget about me. She won't remember me, I won't remember her. Deal."

It was a little too easy. "What about the money?" The kids were tossing bowls, she had to stop them.

"I have decided, that I can get much more elsewhere. Deal?" She asked. "You better go get your children."

"I told you, they'd destroy it." Liz said trying to stay calm. It was just a mess. It could be cleaned up with a broom and a mop. That's it. "I'll discuss it with Max."

"I don't want you to discuss it with Max. Yes or no, Liz."

Lily was now giggling on the floor, her hair covered in cantaloupe juice.

"Yes." She didn't know what Max wanted her to do. She shook inside. "Now get out my house, I don't ever want to see you again. Send me the papers by mail." 

"Will do, Mrs. Evans." Tess sauntered out. "Nice working with you."

Liz slammed the door in her face and turned to deal with the mess in her kitchen.

**AN: I wanted more of a showdown between Liz and Tess, but I'm not too great with showdowns, I try. And I'm sorry I made her from Tennessee, but my little sister's doing a report on it and it was the first thing that came to my mind. There's only a few chapters left, and then we're done with this one. It's been great having you guys along for the ride! I'll miss it when it's done.**


	27. Welcome Home and Happy Birthday

**Chapter 27**

_Flight two nine one from San Francisco arrived on time gate B. Baggage can be found at carousel eight._ The voice droned for the third time. Liz was ready to see the results of that flight. It had been fifteen minutes from the first announcement.

Liz stood in the baggage claim and made her way to the carousel. She was shaking and her hands were sweaty. She could do this, she had to do this.

She had left the kids with Isabel and Alex. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and looked at the sliding doors leading from the terminal. People were coming out now. Max would be among them; he'd get his bag and then they'd leave.

She spotted him, looking tired and searching the crowd for his mother. He didn't know she was picking him up. She needed wanted to do this.

Max was exhausted from the week at Berkeley. They woke up early went to bed late. But it had gotten him the credits he needed.

He wanted to get home to his family. He wanted to hold Liz to him and never let her go. A week was too long to be away from them. He missed Aidan's sweetness, he even missed Lily's stubbornness. He needed to find his mother so he could get home to them.

"Max." He whipped his head around he thought he heard Liz.

"Liz?"  
  
"I'm here, Max." She said and smiled.

Max studied her for a second. She was pale but she was smiling at him.

"Liz." He swept her into his arms and he felt her trembling. He pressed a kiss to her temple and it was cold. "Are you ok?"

"Yes. Now I am." She held him tight.

"Liz, you didn't have to come." He knew she hated everything airplanes.

"I did and I did it. The kids are with Alex and Isabel. I did it, Max." She said happy with herself. "I didn't want to have to deal with Aidan and Lily, I don't think I could have handled it. I may have wanted to turn back once or twice, but I did it."

"I'm so proud of you, Liz." He kissed her hard. "Thank you. I love you."

"Love you too." She held on tight. "Let's get your bag so we can go home. The kids are probably driving Alex up the wall. Lily's beside herself."

"Max, can I speak with you for a minute?" Liz said when he walked into the front room. He had just put Lily down. Sliding her glasses off and sitting up she looked him in the eye. 

"Sure." He sat down next to her.

"Tess came while you were away, three days ago to be exact." She told him.

"Did she do anything, say anything?" He was alert. "Did she say anything to the kids?"

"Wait just a moment, Max." She held up a hand. "I have a question to ask you, will you promise to answer with the best of your knowledge?"

"Yes." He said slowly, studying her face.

"She told me something, something that disturbs me a little. I know it shouldn't matter much, but it does." She placed her hand on his knee. "She said Lily is most likely not your daughter."

"She is!" He exploded.

"Keep your voice down else you'll wake the subject in question." She scolded lightly. "I know she's your daughter, Max, but biologically, is she yours? Is it possible?"

Max looked down. "I'm sure, Liz." He smiled slowly. "I had my doubts at first too. A few weeks after she was born I took her down to a clinic and had our DNA checked, she's mine."

"You're sure. She's ours then."

"Yes, she's ours." Max held her. "Did Tess say anything else?"

"Only that she could probably make more money elsewhere. She made me promise though that we are not to contact her when she's rich and famous. Lily no longer exists to her and that she'll send the papers."

"She didn't?" He asked eyes full of hope.

"She did." Liz answered happily.

_Few months later_

"Very good, Emma." Liz congratulated the girl sitting at the piano. She had now taken on four other students in the afternoons. She was finding it quite enjoyable to teach them. All the kids were under ten and she enjoyed teaching their age. They were all curious about the mysterious world of the piano.

"We're home, Mommy." Lily ran into the room. "Look, I got a crown for my birthday at school."

"Lily!" Max scolded. "Sorry, Liz, I couldn't catch her in time." He tried to keep the kids out of the piano room when she was teaching.

"It's alright, she's getting ready to leave now." Liz collected the scattered books. "Just practice what I told you, ok?" She patted the girl on the back and watched her walk next door where she lived.

"Let me see that crown, Miss Lily, my little three year old." Liz scooped her up in her arms. She laughed. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you, Mommy." She planted a kiss on her cheek.

"I do believe it is your day to help me get the mail." "Yes." She hopped along in front of Liz and stuck the key in the hole. 

"Here, you have a card from Oma and Opa." She handed it to her.

The third envelope caught her eye. It was big and bulky and could only mean one thing. She opened it quickly, not waiting to get back to the house.

"Max!" She sprinted in the door with Lily hot on her heels. "Max!"

"What, what is it, Liz?" He grabbed her arms and looked her over. "What happened?"

"She's ours, Max. Look." She held it up for him to read.

Max swung her around.

"She's ours." Max smiled.

_ Max's Birthday_

__  
Max sat in the seat of honor at the center of the group. His entire family was there with Liz, Aidan, and Lily flanking him, Lily on his lap. He opened the next present with Lily's help and his face broke into a soft smile.

In it was a picture frame. There was a picture of Max and Aidan in the bathroom both with towels wrapped around their centers. Max had shaving cream spread over his face and so did Aidan. Aidan was smiling up adoringly at Max, with the caption. "Like Father..." In the next picture they were standing there surveying Lily's 'big girl' bed with hands on their hips and identical tool belts, Aidan's sagging off his tiny waist, with the caption "Like son." Under it.

Then there was a second with Liz and Lily. They both had aprons on and were staring over a pot in the kitchen, "Like mother..." Was the caption. The second was of them in the garden digging. Liz's hands were cupping Lily's with a flower they were transplanting from a pot to the fresh soil. There was a smudge of dirt on both Lily's and Liz's face, with the caption "like daughter" underneath.

"Thank you, Isabel." Max said with genuine happiness in his voice.

"You're welcome, Liz gave the pictures to me."

"It was a great birthday present." Liz studied the pictures and Lily demanded they get read to her.

"You know, Max." Liz said from where she lay on his chest. They had watched a movie after the kids had gone to bed. She was studying the pictures Isabel had given to them. 

"What?" He asked.

"There's two kinds of love." She stated. "I love you with my whole heart. But I love the kids with my whole heart. And being a biologist, I ask myself how this is possible. I think it's because they're different. Yours is burning and passionate, I almost ache with it. Theirs is steady, warm, and comforting. Both are secure. Two totally different feelings. But two wonderful feelings. Two kinds of wonderful feelings. Get it?"

"I think so." He smiled and kissed the sweet smelling hair. He was completely relaxed, exactly in the only place he ever wanted to be

**TBC**  
  
**AN: There's only the epilogue left, now. I can't believe we're done. It's been a wonderful journey you guys. Thank you so much for sticking with me through those rough patches where there were hardly any posts. Thank you all so much for the feedback and reviews.**


	28. Epilogue

_** Well, this is it! I cannot begin to even thank all of you who have supported me from the very beginning. This was my first challenge and boy was it a challenge! I really had so much fun reading all the feedback and even making some new friends. I wish I could acknowledge everybody but I can't. I just want to say thank you so much for sticking with me. We've had some rough patches of no posts for two or three months and still you faithful readers came back when I did get around to posting. The newcomers who joined later in the fic were always fun too because they had new insights on everything and made it fun. All of it meant so much to me. I wish this could go on longer but it's time to end. A year and a half is a long time to follow one fic. So I'll say thank you again although I can't say it enough. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did then I'll know you had a blast. Thank you all so much again.**_

_**Lissa**_

_Epilogue-thirteen years later_

"Mom, can I call Aidan to come get me?" Lily sat bored in her mother's classroom. She and Aidan were on Spring Break and the twins were off track.

"No."

"Oh, Mom please?" They were alone in Liz's classroom. It was her conference period. "I'm so bored."

"Maybe next time you'll be in before curfew." Liz continued to grade papers without looking up at her sixteen year old daughter. "Your father and I made the decision to let you date at sixteen thinking you had the maturity to obey our rules. I guess we were wrong."

"Mom, I was only an hour late." She crossed her legs on the desktop she was sitting on. She had gotten the speech the night before when she got home. Surprisingly her parents had not been tired at all when she got home at one in the morning.

The bell rang and Lily slid from her desk and took her place in the one behind Liz's desk when Liz stood up.

"Good morning, Mrs. Evans. I have arrived and you may start the class." A tall boy stepped into the class.

"Nice to know you feel the world revolves around you, Joshua dear." Liz had to smile at him. He had started out the year so shy and now he was outgoing.

"I brought you these, fresh from the school garden." He handed her a handful of flowers and set them in the vase replacing the old ones he had brought her the week before.

"The students are going to be suspicious if you keep this up, Josh, and the janitors are going to be out for your blood if you keep picking their roses."

"Just a favor for my favorite teacher."

"Have a seat, Josh, so I can start class please."

"Hello, Lily." He said shyly, when he caught sight of her.

She smiled at him, swishing her curls and flashing her deep brown eyes at him.

"Josh." She nodded. "How are you?"

"Great."

"Stop flirting with my daughter and sit down." Liz said finally as the rest of their students took their seats.

"Mom, let me call Aidan, he'll come get me."

"Fine." There was no point trying to keep her here, distracting her male students.

"Hey, Mrs. Evans, did you hear that actress Tess Harding got caught smuggling two tons of cocaine?" Her biggest gossiper came bounding into class. "I guess she got put in jail over night at a million dollar bail. She faces ten years jail time, can you believe it?"

"Yes." Liz answered. And slid a glance at her daughter. "I can believe it. Didn't she just get out for something else?"

"Yeah, broke her pre-nuptial agreement with her fifth husband." The girl beamed. "That was only after burning his 1.5 million dollar house down."

Halfway through class there was a knock on the door.

"Kylie, open the door please." It was Aidan.

"Aidan!" The girl squealed. The girls in the class flew to their backpacks to get out mirrors. Liz smirked at their appearances.

Aidan stepped into the room with Ty and Aubrey, their ten year old twins. Amelia followed and shut the door.

Liz watched, amused, as all the girls fluttered around making sure they looked alright before Aidan actually came into the room.

He was handsome, like his father. His red hair flattered his face and Aidan knew it as well as anyone else. He just didn't flaunt it. He was too in love with his girlfriend of two years, Amelia. She had often caught girls around her desk looking at the baby pictures, not to mention Aidan who was in all the pictures as well.

"Mommy!" The little ones shouted in happiness.

Liz rolled her eyes and regretted him coming to the class. They were working on group projects. They weren't disrupting the class per say, but they were making noise.

"Hi, sweethearts." Liz hugged her children. "Aidan."

He didn't look to happy to be dragged out with the kids.

"It was almost naptime." Aidan growled, glaring at his sister who was swishing her blonde curls at him and smiling.

"Amelia, sweetheart, come in." Liz called the girl who she knew would be her daughter-in-law one day.

"Hi, Mrs. Evans." She smiled as she tucked her dark hair behind her ear. She was a pretty girl and had a personality that Liz adored.

Amelia shied to Aidan's side as she received glares from all the girls in the room.

"Amelia painted my nails, Mommy." Aubrey smiled to her mother.

"Pretty." Liz kissed her daughter's hand. "Wait till Daddy sees it."

"Does Dad know I'm picking her up?" He asked glowering at his sister who was swishing her curls at some unfortunate boy. He turned to see who it was and when he saw the attentions reciprocated he sent the boy a glare that would freeze hell over.

"We'll talk when I get home, Aidan. Now scoot so these girls will stop looking at you and going back to work." Liz teased.

The girls all pretended to be looking the other way at that and Aidan pulled Amelia closer to him. "Time to go, love." He glared one last time at the boy who was eyeing his sister for effect. Josh raised an annoyed eyebrow at Lily's brother.

"Bye, Lily!" He said to see how pissed Aidan would get. Lily gave him a delighted smirk and decided to harass her brother as well.

"Bye, Joshua." She called sweetly and gave a little hip action. Aidan caught her wrist and pulled her out the door.

"Oh, before you go home, Aidan, Hayden's daycare called." Liz smiled at the look of horror on his face.

"Mom, please don't make us pick Hayden up." The youngest child in the family, Hayden, was a terror. It was a miracle he was still allowed to attend the day care he went to.

"Lily will watch him." Liz said. That was punishment enough.

They skulked out of the room. "Bye Mommy!" The ten year old twins waved.

"Bye." She waved.

"Mrs. Evans?" A female student raised her hand after the door shut.

"Yes?" Liz answered.

"Was that Aidan's girlfriend?"

"Yes. They've been together for two years, and no there is no sight of a break up, they are fully in love." She smiled.

"Mrs. Evans?" A male student perked up.

"Lily currently does not have a boyfriend, nor is she looking for one."

"Come on, Mrs. Evans."

"You have to go through Aidan and her father." Liz shrugged.

"How old are Aubrey and Ty?" Another asked. 

"Almost seven." She smiled.

"Is your husband cute?" Another asked.

"How did we get on the subject of my family?" Liz asked. "You are supposed to be working on your group projects, not dissecting my life."

"Is he?"

"You all know very well he is extremely handsome, you girls sign up every year for career day to hear his lecture."

Content that her students went back to work, she settled down to grade more work.

Liz looked the pictures of her children on her desk unable to focus on the corrections being made.

The family portrait held her gaze the longest. Who would have thought they would end up with five children? Hayden had been a surprise. After the twins, Aubrey and Tyler had been born; they had been content to stop with four. Then three years later Hayden had come. They had been thrilled even though he turned out to be the male version of Lily at his age.

Max had become the leading firm in all of Southern California, and she was teaching at a top academy. She couldn't have been happier.

Next to the portrait was a picture of Aidan at Junior Prom holding Amelia tenderly to him. He had given Amelia hers and Jonathan's wedding rings. Amelia was wearing them on a silver chain around her neck that matched her dress.

Liz glanced at the clock. "Alright, class, homework is to work on these projects tomorrow. Remember, it has to make biology entertaining for children between the ages of six and ten. I'll have the ultimate judge of them tomorrow, my twins." She smiled.

"How about Lily and Aidan?" Someone asked.

"I doubt they will." Liz laughed. Completely happy.

The bell rang and everyone filed out of class.

**THE END**


End file.
